Name George Lakin | Died 1884 | |
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George W. Lakin (March 29, 1816 – September 13, 1884) was an American schoolteacher and lawyer, originally from Maine, who became a pioneer leader of Wisconsin.
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Background
A contemporary biography states that Lakin was born in Harrison, in Cumberland County, Maine, on the 29th day of March, 1816 although many published sources show his birth year as 1817. He attended public schools until about 14 years old, then went to Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine, then to the Maine Wesleyan Seminary in Readfield, from which he graduated in June, 1887. He had tutored or taught school during his five years at Maine Wesleyan; afterwards he took a succession of teaching posts in various small Maine towns, all the while "reading law" as was the custom of the time.
In the fall of 1839 he went west, eventually ending up teaching school in the Cook Settlement of southeastern St. Francois County, Missouri to raise funds for study. He moved to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and studied under former Congressman John Scott, and in summer of 1841 was admitted to the Missouri bar. He then moved to Wisconsin, eventually settling in Platteville, where he practiced law until 1854.
Public office
Lakin was a Whig delegate from Grant County to Wisconsin's second constitutional convention before statehood, then served as a Whig member of the first Wisconsin State Senate from 1848 to 1849 and as a United States District Attorney from 1850 to 1853.
After public office
He moved to Milwaukee in 1854, and derived a significant proportion of his business from the lawyers in the western part of Wisconsin and in the Galena, Illinois and Dubuque, Iowa regions who had contended with him in the past.
In January 1855, Lakin was one of the defense attorneys involved in the defense of John Ryecraft (one of the people who helped free runaway slave Joshua Glover), arguing that the defendant, in freeing a slave, acted in accord with the higher law. He died on September 13, 1884.
Personal life
Lakin was a Freemason, and served as secretary of the December 1843 Masonic convention which led to the creation of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin. On June 2, 1847, he married Statira C. Clark, "late of Danville, Me." in Potosi. They had three children, Fannie, Mildred and Charles.