Background
Abbott was born in Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Abbott was born in Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Middlebury College.
He then settled in Madison, where he formed a law practice with John Catlin, future acting governor of the Wisconsin Territory. In 1848, Abbott ran as a Whig candidate for Secretary of State of Wisconsin, but lost the election. In 1850, he was the District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
He was the president of the Dane County Bar Association in 1858.
He was the Postmaster of Madison from 1850-1853, and President of Madison (now Mayor) from 1852-1853. From 1853-1856, he served as a regent for the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1867, he moved to Vermont. He later moved to Schuyler, Nebraska and died in Nebraska on January 30, 1872.
He is interred in Forest Hill Cemetery.
He served as the Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin and as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1800s.