Sheboygan's first three mayors, all born in eastern states, led the fledgling city

Gary C. Klein, Sheboygan Press
Updated ·4 min read

SHEBOYGAN - Mayors didn't materialize until the city was incorporated by act of the Legislature March 19,1853, chapter 94, private and local laws of 1853.

The first election under the charter was held Tuesday, April 5, 1853, when Henry H. Conklin was elected.

The city's first mayor, Conklin, had a short term of office from April 1853 to August 1853. Conklin was born in Vermont in 1819 and moved to Sheboygan sometime during the 1840s. His early occupation was that of a land speculator. His political career began in 1846 when he was the village president of Sheboygan, according to the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.

As he was a land speculator, he often advertised in the Sheboygan Mercury newspaper, according to the SCHRC, raving about the land possibilities in the area. In one ad, he said the following:

"This land ranges from 3 and a half to 5 and a half miles from the town. It has considerable mill power by the Sheboygan river running through the entire tract; is nearly covered with the best of timber, beach, oak, maple, and some spruce pine of large size. I say, without fear of contradiction, that this land possesses advantages over most of the land in the State, it being within about four miles of town where a long wharf has been made for shipping of all the produce of the near county of Sheboygan to the ready markets of Buffalo and Chicago."

Between 1849 and 1850 Henry H. Conklin, a land speculator, placed advertisements for land sales in the Sheboygan Mercury newspaper. Conklin, who would later become Sheboygan’s first mayor was born in Vermont and after his short stint as mayor would move to Fond du Lac where he is buried.
Between 1849 and 1850 Henry H. Conklin, a land speculator, placed advertisements for land sales in the Sheboygan Mercury newspaper. Conklin, who would later become Sheboygan’s first mayor was born in Vermont and after his short stint as mayor would move to Fond du Lac where he is buried.

Conklin resigned on Aug. 9, 1853, after moving to Fond du Lac where apparently he had a brother living. Later, he moved to Walnut, Kansas, to live with his son, Henry. According to the Daily Reporter in Fond du Lac, Henry Conklin, "the erudite, generous and jovial sometimes too jovial-Harry" died at Walnut, Kansas, July 17, 1884, of paralysis at the age 65, according to the book "Mayors of Sheboygan, WI" by the late Scott Lewandoske. According to the paper's report, Conklin married Katherine Strong but it was not known when or where. He would be buried in Rienzi Cemetery in Fond du Lac County.

When Conklin resigned, Francis R. Townsend took his place, becoming the second mayor for the city. Townsend was born in 1813 in Troy, New York. Like Conklin, he was born in out East and moved to Wisconsin. In 1844, he arrived in Racine in Wisconsin Territory. He was engaged in the produce business. In 1851, he moved to Sheboygan. He would be mayor from August 1853 to April 1854.

Sheboygan’s second mayor Francis R. Townsend was elected by the council after the resignation of Henry H. Conklin. He would serve from August 1853 to April 1854. A businessman, he came to Sheboygan with experience in the produce field.
Sheboygan’s second mayor Francis R. Townsend was elected by the council after the resignation of Henry H. Conklin. He would serve from August 1853 to April 1854. A businessman, he came to Sheboygan with experience in the produce field.

After his time in office in 1854, he would be one of the first employees of the Bank of Sheboygan. He started as the cashier of the bank and would later become president. At the same time, Townsend was also secretary and treasurer of the Sheboygan & Fond du Lac Rail Road. In 1882, he would resign from the bank because of ill health. He would die in 1882 while sitting in his easy chair. He is buried in Sheboygan's Wildwood Cemetery.

After Townsend, warehouse businessman Joseph Kirkland took his place in April 1854 to become the city's third mayor. Kirkland was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, around 1815. He moved to the Sheboygan area after his marriage to Catherine Sedgewick Sloane. By 1847 he was well known enough that he was elected as president of the village of Sheboygan.

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In the 1854 city election, Kirkland defeated Cyrus. P. Hiller. It was said to be a close election with only 115 votes separating the two men. According to Lewandoske's book, the March 31, 1855, edition of the Evergreen Times had a notice for the upcoming election signed by Kirkland. The notice said: "In accordance with the wishes of a large portion of our citizens and in order to promote the tranquility of our uniformly quiet city, I would respectfully suggest to the keepers of our Saloons and public houses that they close their bars on Tuesday next, the day of our election." He was mayor until April 1855.

Sheboygan’s third mayor, Joseph Francis Kirkland, who was mayor from April 1854 to April 1855, had a warehouse business. He won his election in 1854 by a mere 115 votes.
Sheboygan’s third mayor, Joseph Francis Kirkland, who was mayor from April 1854 to April 1855, had a warehouse business. He won his election in 1854 by a mere 115 votes.

In 1874, he moved on. Kirkland took up residence in Winona, Minnesota, where he took up the railroad trade. There was no mention of him after that, but in 1892 a newspaper said it was rumor Joseph F. Kirkland died the previous week in Washington where he held a governmental clerkship for several years. It was estimated his age was well toward being 80 years old.

After the first three Sheboygan mayors things slowed down and men in that office would stay for more than a year as mayor.

In the early days of Sheboygan, immigrants, mainly white men and their families, would immigrate from out East to seek a better life in the wilderness that was then called Wisconsin. Once the state was established, towns and cities grew and the wilderness would be tamed. Many of these early settlers were elected to guide the fledgling city to start the creation of what we see today in Sheboygan.

Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @leicaman99.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan's first mayors were born in eastern states