Career
Born in Warren County, Kentucky, Rountree settled first in Hillsboro, Illinois, and then went to Michigan Territory to the lead mining|mines in 1827. There he staked a claim where the city of Platteville, Wisconsin is today. Rountree served as judge in the Michigan Territory and later the Wisconsin Territory.
He served on the Council (equivalent to a Senate) from the newly created Grant County in the Second through Fourth Wisconsin Territorial Legislatures (1838–1846) and as a delegate to the 1847-1848 Wisconsin State Constitutional Convention from Grant County (where he is recorded as insisting that a strong uniformity clause was "a matter of very great importance".
In 1866-1867, Rountree served in the Wisconsin State Senate again, elected on the National Union ticket to represent the Sixteenth Senate District (Grant County), succeeding Milas K. Young (another Whig-turned-Republican elected on the National Union ticket). He still described his profession as "farmer".
He was assigned to the standing committees on finance, agriculture, and benevolent institutions. He was succeeded in 1868 by Republican George Hazelton.