On this date the founder of a Fourierite Utopian community in what is now Ripon was born. Their inspiration came from the writings of Charles Fourier, a French Socialist who urged the rebuilding of society from its foundation as the only cure for economic ills such as the depression of 1837. The idea was supported by Horace Greely in New York and caught the eye of Warren Chase. Chase and others built a successful, non-religous communal society in which everyone recieved wages according to their skill, need, and work ethic. The community reached their greatest population (180) in 1845 but soon dissipated when members began moving toward agriculture as an economic tool. Families gradually left the community to live in their own houses and work their own land in the same area. In 1850, the community disbanded and $40,000 in assets was divided among the remaining members. Warren Chase moved around the country and finally settled in California, where he held many public offices. [Source: Wisconsin Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes, p. 94-104]
1835 - Olympia Brown Born
On this date Olympia Brown, a well-known suffragist and the first woman ordained a minister in the U.S., was born in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. In 1878, Reverend Brown moved to Racine to become minister of the Universalist Church of the Good Shepherd. After nine years there, she resigned to work primarily in the women's movement, though she served as minister in several Wisconsin towns: Mukwonago, Columbus and Neenah. She continued her activism for women's rights, and was president of the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association for 28 years. She helped found the Federal Suffrage Association (1892) which became the Federal Equality Association (1902). [Source: Famous Wisconsin Women Volume III by Women's Auxiliary, State Historical Society of Wisconsin]
1838 - Canal Chartered
On this date the Milwaukee and Rock River Canal was chartered under Byron Kilbourn in 1838. Territorial governor Henry Dodge signed the doomed legislation. The enterprise was poorly managed and ended in failure after only a short stretch had been dug. [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
1855 - King Camp Gillette Born
On this date King Camp Gillette was born in Fond du Lac. He worked for many years as a traveling salesman. After much experimentation, he developed a disposable steel blade and razor. He established the Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1901. Sales for his product skyrocketed. Gillette remained president of his company until 1931 and was a director until his death the following year. [Source: Lemelson-MIT Program]
1864 - (Civil War) Skirmish at Lawrence Mills, Tennessee
The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry fought in a skirmish at Lawrence Mills, Tennessee.
1923 - William H. Collins Dies
On this date prominent Wisconsin lumberman William H. Collins died. Collins founded and served as president of the Collins Brothers Lumber Company and the Ellefson Lumber Company, which controlled eleven lumberyards throughout the state. He was directly involved in much of Madison's commercial and civic growth in the late 19th century. He served as director of the Bank of Wisconsin and owned coal yards and virgin timber in both Michigan and Wisconsin. [Source: Bishops to Bootleggers: A Biographical Guide to Resurrection Cemetery, p.49]
1938 - Anna Carrier McSpaden Blaine Dies
On this date Anna Carrier McSpaden Blaine, wife of Governor John J. Blaine, died in Boscobel. She was born on August 18, 1875, in Boscobel. She attended UW-Madison from 1895-1896, and Platteville Normal School, and later she taught elementary school in La Crosse, West Bend, and Boscobel. She met her future husband while he was mayor of Boscobel. She married John J. Blaine on August 23, 1904 in Boscobel. Anna Blaine served as first lady of Wisconsin from 1921 to 1927. She was a devoted supporter of the Woman Suffrage movement, campaigning for the cause throughout Wisconsin with Belle Case La Follette. She also took an active role in her husband's political career, campaigning for his re-election and various political causes. She maintained an in-depth understanding of politics and issues, and sought election to the state senate after her husband's death in 1936. She won the Progressive party's nomination for the 16th district but was defeated in the general election. Anna Carrier McSpaden Blaine died of pneumonia in 1938. She is buried beside her husband in Boscobel. [Source: First Ladies of Wisconsin-The Governors' Wives by Nancy G. Williams, p.141]
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