{{short description|American politician (1832–1909)}} {{infobox officeholder | name = Jeremiah Dobbs | image = Jerre_Dobbs.png | caption = From ''The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin'' (1880) | office = Commissioner of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor, Census, and Industrial Statistics | term_start = January 1891 | term_end = April 1895 | governor = George Wilbur Peck<br />William H. Upham | predecessor = Henry M. Stark | successor = Halford Erickson | state1 = Wisconsin | state_assembly1 = Wisconsin | district1 = Fond du Lac 1st | term_start1 = January 3, 1870 | term_end1 = January 2, 1871 | predecessor1 = Henry C. Bottum | successor1 = Jehdeiah Bowen | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{birth date|1832|3|24}} | birth_place = Saugerties, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1909|8|8|1832|3|24}} | death_place = Ripon, Wisconsin, U.S. | resting_place = Hillside Cemetery, Ripon | spouse = {{marriage|Mary A. Lampson|1854|1891|end=died}} | children = {{unbulleted list | Blanche "Nellie" (Taylor) | {{sup|(b. 1869; died 1952)}} | Mary Dobbs | ''at least 1 son'' }} }} '''Jeremiah "Jerre" Dobbs, Jr.''', (March 24, 1832{{spaced ndash}}August 8, 1909) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Fond du Lac County during the 1870 session, and served as commissioner of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor, Census, and Industrial Statistics during the 1890s.
==Biography== Jeremiah Dobbs, Jr., was born in March 1832, in Saugerties, New York.<ref name="1870bio">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1870 |title= The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1870 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1870/reference/wi.wibluebk1870.i0020.pdf |chapter= Wisconsin State Government and State Institutions |page= 361 |accessdate= February 10, 2022 }}</ref> He received a common school education at Williamson, New York,<ref name="reed">{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/benchandbarwisc00reedgoog/ |title= The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin |last= Reed |first= Parker McCobb |year= 1882 |publisher= P. M. Reed |pages= [https://archive.org/details/benchandbarwisc00reedgoog/page/281/ 281–282] |accessdate= February 10, 2022 }}</ref> then went to work as a clerk in a general store in Rochester, New York. He began the study of law at Newark, New Jersey, but went west to Wisconsin in 1849, and settled at Lake Mills. He continued his study of the law and was admitted to the bar at Jefferson, Wisconsin, in 1851, then began a practice in Lake Mills.<ref name="fond">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/historyoffonddul00chic |title= The History of Fond du Lac County |year= 1880 |publisher= Western Historical Company |chapter= Biographical Sketches - Ripon |pages= [https://archive.org/details/historyoffonddul00chic/page/890/ 890–891] |accessdate= February 10, 2022 }}</ref>
He moved to Ripon, Wisconsin, about 1853 and became one of the most prominent lawyers in that part of the state.<ref name="reed"/> He served for several years as a member of the Ripon city council and the Fond du Lac County board of supervisors, and was chairman of the county board. He was an unsuccessful candidate for district attorney in 1862. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1869, representing Fond du Lac County's 1st Assembly district—the northwestern corner of the county.<ref name="1870bio"/> He ran for Wisconsin State Senate in 1872, but lost to William Hiner.<ref name="inc">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/ |title= Incidents and Anecdotes of Early Days and History of Business in the City and County of Fond du Lac from Early Times to the Present |year= 1905 |publisher= P. B. Haber Print Co. |pages= [https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/page/91 91], [https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/page/94 94], [https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/page/145 145–146], [https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/page/173 173], [https://archive.org/details/incidentsanecdot00glaz/page/229 229] |accessdate= February 10, 2022 }}</ref>
Dobbs was a staunch Democrat and was a frequent delegate to state and district Democratic conventions.<ref name="reed"/> His contemporaries described him as one of the political bosses of the Fond du Lac County Democratic Party, who "took conventions under their wings and flew away with them."<ref name="inc"/>
He was a friend and political ally of George Wilbur Peck, and after Peck was elected governor, he appointed Dobbs to the position of commissioner of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor, Census, and Industrial Statistics. Dobbs served through Peck's two terms as governor, and remained after his term ended, arguing that the new governor did not have the authority to remove him. The Legislature finally passed a law in March 1895 which legislated Dobbs out of the office.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13737684/jerre-dobbs-legislated-out-of-office/ |title= Hot Fight Over Dobbs Bill |newspaper= Oshkosh Northwestern |date= March 29, 1895 |page= 1 |accessdate= February 10, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref>
In addition to his legal career, Dobbs was a director of the Oshkosh & Mississippi Railroad Co. He was elected city attorney of Ripon several times, including his election in 1908, despite not running for the office in that election.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94678249/ripon-saloons/ |title= They Will Fight |newspaper= Oshkosh Northwestern |date= April 19, 1886 |page= 1 |accessdate= February 10, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94661987/dobbs-city-attorney/ |title= Draft City Attorney |newspaper= The Watertown News |date= April 17, 1908 |page= 6 |accessdate= February 10, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref>
He was found dead in his home in Ripon on August 8, 1909.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://newspaperarchive.com/brandon-brandon-times-aug-12-1909-p-2/ |title= Local News |newspaper= Brandon Times |date= August 12, 1909 |page= 2 |accessdate= June 14, 2022 |via= NewspaperArchive.com }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-hs}} {{s-bef|before = Henry C. Bottum }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nowrap|from the Fond du Lac 1st district}} |years= January 3, 1870{{spaced ndash}}January 2, 1871 }} {{s-aft|after = Jehdeiah Bowen }} {{s-gov}} {{s-bef|before = Henry M. Stark }} {{s-ttl|title = Commissioner of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor, Census, and Industrial Statistics |years= January 1891{{spaced ndash}}April 1895 }} {{s-aft|after = Halford Erickson }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbs, Jeremiah}} Category:1832 births Category:1909 deaths Category:People from Saugerties, New York Category:People from Lake Mills, Wisconsin Category:People from Ripon, Wisconsin Category:Politicians from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Category:Wisconsin lawyers Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature