WI BIO - Dane Co - BUSHNELL, Allen R.
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893. Vol II, pp 472-474

Hon. Allen R. BUSHNELL, now representing the 3rd Congressional District of 
WI, which includes [1893] the counties of Dane, Iowa, Grant, Lafayette and 
Green, was elected two years ago by the Democratic party of this district, 
and is the second member of his party so elected since 1860, and was the 
first when the fight was squarely between two candidates of the two great 
parties. For four years he held the office of U. S. District Attorney for 
the western district of WI when it was an appointive office under CLEVELAND. 
Also our distinguished subject was for one term a [p 473] Representative in 
the State Legislature from the Lancaster district of Grant County, WI, and 
was also District Attorney for two terms of Grant County, and as this was in 
1860 his talents were recognized while he was still quite a young man.

Allen R. BUSHNELL resigned the office of District Attorney and enlisted as a 
private in the army, in Apr 1861, when the first call was made for troops, 
joining the Platteville Guards, which became Company C, 7th WI Volunteers, 
Colonel ROBINSON and Captain NESMITH commanding, but before the company had 
left the State Mr. BUSHNELL was elected 1st Lieutenant. He was assigned to 
the Army of the Potomac, and their regiment was one of those from the West 
used to make up what became known as the Iron Brigade, and was commanded by 
General Rufus KING and John GIBBON, and later by Generals LYSANDER, CUTLER, 
Sol MEREDITH and Ed S. BRAGG, and in the regular organization of the army it 
was made the 1st Brigade, 1st Division of the 1st Army corps.

Allen R. BUSHNELL was in many active engagements and after some brave 
fighting he was promoted to be Captain of Company C, and was so identified 
until he gave out physically. He became disabled at Belle Plain after the 
battle of Fredericksburg, and in Mar 1863 Mr. BUSHNELL resigned on a 
surgeon's certificate of disability and came to OH, where the was treated by 
his father for some time, who was a prominent physician of Hartford 
[Trumbull County], OH. Finally, when recovered, he returned to Platteville 
[Grant County], WI, from which place he had enlisted, and resumed his law 
practice.

In 1864 Allen R. BUSHNELL moved to Lancaster [Grant County], WI, and there 
received an appointment as District Attorney, to fill the place of Judge 
MILLS, who had been elected Circuit Judge. He resided in Lancaster until the 
spring of 1891, and then removed to Madison, Dane County, WI, and made this 
city his permanent abode, as it had previously been his official residence 
while U. S. Attorney. While in Congress, Mr. BUSHNELL was a member of the 
Committee on the Election of President and Vice President, Senators and 
Representatives in Congress, and of Private Land Claims.

Allen R. BUSHNELL was born in Hartford, Trumbull County, OH, 18 Jul 1833, and 
was the son of Dr. George W. and Sally (BATES) BUSHNELL. The latter was the 
daughter of Deacon Elihu BATES, and both Mr. and Mrs. BUSHNELL were natives 
of Hartford County, CT. Dr. George W. BUSHNELL was the son of Daniel 
BUSHNELL, who, in turn, was the son of Captain Alexander BUSHNELL, who served 
through the entire Revolutionary War and who had his son in his company 
during the latter part of the war. The family was founded in this country by 
one Francis BUSHNELL, who came from England on the good ship "Planter," and 
from him it is supposed most of the BUSHNELLs of the U. S. are now scattered. 
The family became pioneers from CT in the Western Reserve in OH, where they 
became prominent, and where Dr. George Willis BUSHNELL, the father of our 
subject, remained all his life. He was an active practitioner of medicine, 
born 11 Aug 1800, died 07 Aug 1892, and was buried on his 92nd birthday. His 
wife had been born in 1802 and died in 1866. Both were members of the 
Christian Church.

Our subject obtained his education, pursuing a special course with a view to 
the legal profession, at the Hartford High School, and then attended Oberlin 
College, and then the [p 474] Western Reserve Elective Institute, at Hiram 
[Portage County], OH, and was there while President GARFIELD was a tutor. He 
knew Mr. GARFIELD well and boarded with the father of Mrs. GARFIELD, and was 
appointed by young GARFIELD to act as Chief Justice MARSHALL in a play, which 
the latter wrote for the students of the college, representing the trial of 
Aaron BURR for treason.

After completing his studies Allen R. BUSHNELL came West, in 1852, and taught 
school that same year at the Block House Branch, near Platteville [Grant 
County], WI. After this he went back to OH, but in 1854 he came again to 
Grant County. He read some law in OH. In WI he became student in the office 
of Judge Stephen O. PAYNE, at Platteville, and was admitted to the bar at 
Lancaster in the fall of 1857. On 01 Dec 1857 he put out his sign and began 
to practice alone. He has at different times had partners in his profession 
and is now in the firm of Bushnell, Rogers & Hall, at Madison, WI, which was 
organized early in 1891.

The first marriage of Allen R. BUSHNELL took place in Lancaster, Grant 
County, WI, to Miss Laura F. BURR, a daughter of Deacon Addison BURR, from 
VT. She was partly reared and educated in Lancaster, WI, and died at their 
home in Lancaster [Grant County], WI, in Aug 1873, leaving three children, 
only one of whom survives, Mabel, a young lady, at home, a graduate of the 
State University of Madison. Allen R. BUSHNELL was a second time married to 
Miss Mary F. SHERMAN, who was born and reared in Lancaster, WI, and was the 
daughter of Cyrus and Fannie (BARBER) SHERMAN, now deceased, but formerly 
prominent citizens of Lancaster.

Allen R. BUSHNELL is a live social man, is a member of Grant Chapter and 
Lancaster Lodge, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, in which he has filled every 
office from High Priest down. He became a Mason soon after he reached his 
majority, at Jerusalem Lodge, No. 19, of Hartford, OH, where Joshua R. 
GIDDINGS, Governor David TOD and other prominent OH men were made Masons, and 
is also a member of Toms Cox's Post, G. A. R., Lancaster, WI.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly