Page 22

                              THE STORY OF MADISON.
                                 CHAPTER IV.
                     Early Days of the Ctty-185G-1865.
   Madison received a city charter March 4, 1856, the population being divided
as equally as
practicable into four wards - since increased to eight.  Col. Jairus C. Fairchild
was the first
Madison be-    mayor, William N. Seymour the first clerk,1 and the first
city school board was
comes a city,  composed of Win. B. Jarvis (president), D. H. Wright, L. J.
Farwell, L. W. Hoyt,
Simeon Mills, and Darwin Clark.2
   Educational interests were at once pushed to the front by the new school
board, which in
August induced the city fathers to appropriate enough money (*6,887.50) to
purchase sites for
school houses in the First, Second, and Fourth wards; but there were no means
for building, and
the several ward schools still continued to be held in rented rooms.  The
total cost of conducting
the school system ih 1856 was $4,334.06 - it was not until the following
year that the superin-
tendent received a salary of *1,000.
   In its report at the close of. 1856, the board spoke discouragingly of
"the continued dis-
graceful, destitute condition of the city, with regard to school houses."
 Superintendent Kilgore,
The city's      however, was more confident. While alluding, in his own report,
to "the ab-
school houses.  sence of anything in the material appurtenances of the schools
  * *  *  calcu-
lated to gratify a love for the beautiful and to refine and elevate the taste,"
he nevertheless
thought that the schools had been more prosperous during the year than at
any former period,
that there had been an increase of public interest in them, and that the
pupils had creditably
acquitted themselves.  He referred to the fact that in his previous report
he had said Madison
was behind Waukesha, Beaver Dam, and Whitewater in the matter of public education;
but now
he thought that "things looked brighter."  In 1857, the
First and
Third ward buildings were
completed, the council evidently having seen that it was useless furthei.
to fight the school board.
   'The following is a list of mayors from 1856 to
          -  -   - Jairus C. Fairchild
          -  -   - Augustus A. Bird
          -  -   - George B. Smith
          -  -   - Levi B. Vilas
          -  -   - William T. Leitch
          -  -   - Elisha W. Keyes
          -  -   - Alden S. Sanborn
          -  -   - David Atwood
          -  -   - Andrew Proudfit
          -  -   - J. B. Bowen
          -  -   - James L. Hill
          -  -   - Jared C. Gregory
          -  -   - Silas 'U. Pinney -
          -  -   -. John N. Jones
          -  -   - Harlow S. Orton
                 - George B. Smith
                                     the present time:
                                          1879-80   -   -
                                          1880-81   -   -
                                          1881-84   -   -
                                          :1884-85  -   -
                                          1885-86   -   -
                                          1886-87   -   -
                                          1887-88   -   -
                                          1888-90   -   -
                                          1890-91   -   -
                                          1891-93   -   -
                                          1893-95   -   -
                                          1895-96   -.  -
                                          1896-97   -   -
                                          1897-98   -   -
                                          1898-99   -   -
                                          1899
                                                         -   -  John R. BaItzell
                                                         -   -  Philip L.
Spooner, Jr
                                                         -   -  James Conklin
                                                         -   -  Breese J.
Stevens
                                                         -   -  Hiram N.
Moulton
                                                         -   -  Elisha W.
Keyes
                                                         -   -  James Conklin
                                                         -   -  M. Ransom
Doyou
                                                         -   -  Robert M.
Bashford
                                                         -   -  William H.
Rogers
                                                         -   -  John Corsoot
                                                         -   -  Jabe Alford
                                                         -   -  Albert A.
Dye
                                                         -   -  M. J. Hoven
                                                         -   -  Chas. -E.
Whelan
                                                                M. J. Hoven.
   The following city clerks have served from the organization of the city
to the present time:  April, 1856
to October, 1857, William N. Seymour; October, 1857 to April, 1858, Stephen
H. Carpenter; April, 1858 to
April, 1859, Henry Wright; April, 1859 to November, 1861, Charles G. Mayers;
November, 1861 to July,
1865, William A. Hayes; July, 1865 to September, 1868, Stephen H. Carpenter;
September, 1868 to April 1,
1890, John Corseot; April 1, 1890 to date, 0. 5. Norsman.
   2 See p. 21, for list of presidents and clerks of the board of education
from 1855 to date.
1856-57
1857-58
1858-61
1861-62
1862-65
1865-67
1567-68
1868-69
1869-71
1871-72
1872-73
1873-74
1874-76
1876-77
1877-78
1878-79