Alexander Botkin

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title: "Alexander Botkin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1801-births", "1857-deaths", "people-from-kentucky", "politicians-from-alton,-illinois", "politicians-from-madison,-wisconsin", "wisconsin-whigs", "illinois-state-court-judges", "members-of-the-wisconsin-territorial-legislature", "members-of-the-wisconsin-state-assembly", "wisconsin-state-senators", "19th-century-illinois-state-court-judges", "19th-century-members-of-the-wisconsin-legislature"] description: "19th century Wisconsin politician" topic_path: "people/1800s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Botkin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 19th century Wisconsin politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Alexander Botkin
image	Alexander Botkin.png
state	Wisconsin
state_senate	Wisconsin
district	9th
term_start	January 1, 1849
term_end	January 1, 1851
predecessor	Simeon Mills
successor	Eliab B. Dean, Jr.
state_assembly1	Wisconsin
district1	Dane 2nd
term_start1	January 1, 1852
term_end1	January 1, 1853
predecessor1	Augustus A. Bird
successor1	Henry L. Foster
office2	Member of the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for Dane, Green, and Sauk counties
term_start2	October 18, 1847
term_end2	March 13, 1848
alongside2	Elisha T. Gardner & John W. Stewart
predecessor2	Charles Lum, William Wheeler, & John W. Stewart
successor2	Position Abolished
birth_date
birth_place	Kentucky, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S.
death_cause	Stroke
restingplace	Forest Hill Cemetery
Madison, Wisconsin
spouse	Jane Roslin Sinclair (died 1874)
children	{{unbulleted list
profession	Lawyer
::

|name = Alexander Botkin |image = Alexander Botkin.png |alt = |caption = |state = Wisconsin |state_senate = Wisconsin |district = 9th | term_start = January 1, 1849 | term_end = January 1, 1851 | predecessor = Simeon Mills | successor = Eliab B. Dean, Jr. |state_assembly1 = Wisconsin |district1 = Dane 2nd | term_start1 = January 1, 1852 | term_end1 = January 1, 1853 | predecessor1 = Augustus A. Bird | successor1 = Henry L. Foster |office2 = Member of the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for Dane, Green, and Sauk counties | term_start2 = October 18, 1847 | term_end2 = March 13, 1848 | alongside2 = Elisha T. Gardner & John W. Stewart | predecessor2 = Charles Lum, William Wheeler, & John W. Stewart | successor2 = Position Abolished |birth_date = |birth_place = Kentucky, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S. |death_cause = Stroke |restingplace = Forest Hill Cemetery Madison, Wisconsin |spouse = Jane Roslin Sinclair (died 1874) |children = {{unbulleted list | Sinclair W. Botkin | | William Wallace Botkin | | Alexander Campbell Botkin | |profession = Lawyer Alexander Botkin (March 4, 1801March 5, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and pioneer settler of Dane County, Wisconsin. He served one term each as a member of the Wisconsin Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly.

Biography

Born in Kentucky, at an early age he moved to Hamilton County, Ohio, and then to Alton, Illinois, in 1832, where he practiced law. He was serving as a justice of the peace at the time of the riots that resulted in the murder of abolitionist Elijah P. Lovejoy, and was active in attempting to preserve order in the city.

He moved north into the Wisconsin Territory in 1841, to work as the assistant secretary of the territory under Alexander Pope Field, in Madison. While living there, he also worked as a law partner to Field, and became active in politics. He was a candidate for delegate to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention in 1846, but was defeated by John Y. Smith. After the first constitution was rejected by voters, however, he was elected to serve in the 5th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly as a representative of Dane, Green, and Sauk counties. This was the last session of the territorial government before the adoption of Wisconsin's second constitution and their admission as a U.S. state.

In the 1848 fall general election, Botkin was elected to a two-year term in the Wisconsin Senate running on the Whig Party ticket. He represented Dane County in the 2nd and 3rd legislatures. During the 1849 session, he was the Whig nominee for United States Senator, but the Democrats held a substantial majority in the Legislature and selected Isaac P. Walker instead. He ran for re-election in 1850, but was defeated. After leaving the Senate, he was elected to a one-year term in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 5th Wisconsin Legislature.

He died of a stroke while stopping at Angel's Hotel in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and was buried in Madison, Wisconsin.

Personal life and family

Botkin was married to Jane Roslin Sinclair, who survived him. One of their sons was Alexander Campbell Botkin, who became Lieutenant Governor of Montana.

References

References

1. (1901). "Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin, Volume 3". State Bar Association of Wisconsin.
2. (1884). "History of Green County, Wisconsin". Union Publishing Company.
3. (March 6, 1857). "Death of Col. Alexander Botkin". Wisconsin State Journal.
4. (March 10, 1857). "Sudden Death of Col. Botkin". The Daily Milwaukee News.
5. "Archived item".
6. (March 17, 1857). "Death of Col. Botkin". Richland County Observer.
7. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Bos to Bouckaert".
8. 'The bench and bar of Wisconsin: history and biography with portrait and illustration,' Parker McCobb Reed, 1882
9. (1894). "An Illustrated History of the State of Montana". Higginson Book Company.

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