Leonard J. Farwell

Farwell was born in Watertown, New York, the son of James and Rebecca (Cady) Farwell; both his parents died before his 11th birthday. He completed common schooling and apprenticed as a tinsmith until age 19. At that age, he moved west, settling briefly at Lockport, Illinois, where he established himself as a tinsmith. In January 1840, he sold his tinsmith business and moved north, to Milwaukee, in the Wisconsin Territory. He travelled extensively between 1846 and 1849, visiting Caribbean islands, Europe, and the near East. On his return, he settled in Dane County, Wisconsin, where he had invested in a great amount of property and owned roughly half the land of the village of Madison, the capitol of the new state. Farwell was active in building up the new capitol—he owned and operated half a dozen mills and shops, and was instrumental in laying out the streets and erecting the public buildings. He contributed to the establishment of the Wisconsin Historical Society, the state Agricultural Society, the public school system, and the University of Wisconsin. ==Public career==

Farwell was nominated by the Whig Party as their candidate in the 1851 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. He defeated his opponent, former Milwaukee Mayor Don A. J. Upham, and led the Whigs to a strong showing in the Wisconsin Assembly elections down-ballot, though they did not capture other statewide offices. Farwell's success was likely due to his personal popularity and the contributions he had provided to assist recent immigrants arriving in Wisconsin. He served one term and declined re-nomination in 1853. He was the first and only Whig Governor of Wisconsin. Governor Farwell then proceeded to Secretary William H. Seward's residence but arrived too late to prevent that attack. President Johnson later offered Farwell any appointment he wanted in the federal government, but Farwell declined, choosing to continue his work in the Patent Office. Return to the midwest After seven years in Washington, Governor Farwell moved to Chicago and started a patent agency, but he fell victim to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and thus abandoned the city. He then relocated to the small town of Grant City, Missouri, where he entered into a partnership in banking and real-estate, and went on to contribute to the building of a new high school, courthouse, and other infrastructure in the city. On April 11, 1889, after a brief illness, Farwell died in Grant City at the age of 70. He was interred at the Grant City Cemetery. ==Family life==

Farwell was the son of James and Rebecca (Cady) Farwell; both of his parents died in his childhood, leaving him orphaned at age 11. He married Frances A. Cross (spelled "Corss" in many historical documents) on September 20, 1853, while he was serving his term as governor. She was the daughter of General Andrew N. Cross (or "Corss"), of Madison. They had three children together before her death, in 1868, while they were living in Washington. ==Electoral history==