Charles Herrick

Background

Herrick was born in Westford, Massachusetts on September 22, 1814.

Career

He received both common school and academic education. He left his home town in 1836, and spent some time logging on the Muskegon and White Rivers of Michigan. In 1841, he moved to Wisconsin, settling first in Racine, where he went into the produce business and sold cattle.

In 1849, he went into the business of manufacturing fanning mills, a business he continued until 1854.

He was a trustee in 1845 of the then village of Racine, then in 1850 was an alderman of the now City of Racine. When the city created a school board, he was among those elected to lieutenant

When in 1855 a Racine Gas-light and Coke Company was organized, he was among those elected to its initial board of directors. In 1857 he moved to Mount Pleasant.

He was a supervisor of the town in 1870 and 1872.

He died of heart failure at his home in Racine on November 14, 1886. Herrick was elected in 1873 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of incumbent Robert Hall Baker, a Republican who was running for lieutenant governor. In 1874, Baker (who had lost his race) ran for his old seat, and beat Herrick by 2706 votes to Herrick"s 2130 as the candidate of the Liberal Reform Party, a short-lived coalition of Democrats, reform and Liberal Republicans, and Grangers formed in 1873 which secured the election of a Governor of Wisconsin and elected a number of state legislators.

Achievements

• Herrick won 2,423 votes, to 1,519 votes for former state senator and assemblyman Philo Belden, the regular Republican candidate.