Charles R. Gill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charles R. Gill
11th United States Commissioner of Pensions
In office February 10, 1876 – March 28, 1876
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	Henry M. Atkinson
Succeeded by	John A. Bentley
9th Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office January 1, 1866 – January 3, 1870
Governor	Lucius Fairchild
Preceded by	Winfield Smith
Succeeded by	Stephen Steele Barlow
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 14th district
In office January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1862
Preceded by	William Chappell
Succeeded by	Smith S. Wilkinson
Personal details
Born	Charles Rice Gill (1830-08-17)August 17, 1830 Winfield, New York
Died	March 28, 1883(1883-03-28) (aged 52) Dane County, Wisconsin
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Martha Ada Lanckton (m. 1854; died 1913)
Children	Evelyn Louise (Ford) (b. 1856; died 1938) Eugene D. Gill (b. 1858; died 1858) Clark Lanckton Gill (b. 1861; died 1938) Ralph Cleveland Gill (b. 1864; died 1926) Hiram Charles Gill (b. 1866; died 1919) Alice Maria (Pickarts) (b. 1868; died 1932) Olive Eliza Gill (b. 1870) Martha Ada Gill (b. 1874)
Parents	David Gill (father) Nancy (Clark) Gill (mother)
Profession	lawyer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1862–1865
Rank	Colonel, USV
Commands	29th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Vicksburg Campaign Battle of Port Gibson Battle of Champion Hill Siege of Vicksburg Jackson Expedition

Charles Rice Gill (born August 17, 1830 – died March 28, 1883) was an American lawyer and politician. He also served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was the 9th Attorney General for the state of Wisconsin. He also represented Jefferson County in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1860 to 1861. For a short time, he was the U.S. Commissioner of Pensions under President Ulysses S. Grant.

Early Life and Education

Charles Gill was born in Winfield, New York. His family moved to a farm in Genesee County in 1843. After his father died, Charles worked on the farm while also studying. He later became a school teacher.

In 1848, he began studying law in Batavia, New York. He became a lawyer on September 4, 1854. A few days later, he married Martha Lanckton. In October of that year, they moved to Watertown, Wisconsin. There, Charles started his own law practice.

Becoming a Politician in Wisconsin

After starting his law career, Charles Gill became interested in local government. In 1856, he ran for District Attorney of Jefferson County but lost. In 1858, he ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly and lost again.

Around this time, he was chosen to be the superintendent of schools in Watertown. In 1859, he had a disagreement with the city council. The council wanted more control over the school board's money and decisions. Charles Gill had the support of the school board. However, the city council tried to remove him from his job. They said he was not following their rules but did not show any proof.

Fighting for His Job

The city council voted to remove him on June 18, 1859. Charles Gill took his case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Court decided that the council had to let him keep his job. This case made him well-known in Wisconsin.

Later that year, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate as an independent. Charles Gill started as a Democrat. He was against slavery but believed the federal government should not interfere with it. As the 1860 presidential election approached, he decided to join the Republicans.

Leading War Preparations

When the secession crisis began, Senator Gill became a leader in the Senate who wanted to prepare for war. In 1861, he pushed for a committee to focus on war preparations. The Senate approved his idea, and he became the chairman. This was one of the first steps a Union state took to prepare for war.

He quickly proposed a bill to create six infantry regiments and two artillery regiments. When news came of the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Legislature quickly passed his bill. A special meeting of the Legislature was then held to do more war preparations. Charles Gill was again made chairman of the committee for this purpose.

Serving in the Civil War

After the special meeting, Charles Gill heard that his hometown of Watertown had not sent many volunteers for the war. He decided to help recruit soldiers. He held a meeting in Watertown to ask for volunteers. Someone in the crowd criticized him for asking others to join while he was safe.

Right in the middle of his speech, Charles Gill tore up his recruiting papers. He then signed up to serve in the army for three years. His example inspired many others. He quickly recruited enough volunteers to form a company, and they chose him as their captain. Other volunteer companies from Jefferson County joined them. Governor Alexander Randall then made Charles Gill the Colonel of the new 29th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Fighting in Vicksburg

The 29th Wisconsin regiment officially joined the army on September 27, 1862. They left Wisconsin for Cairo, Illinois, and then went to Arkansas. They joined the Army of the Tennessee under Ulysses S. Grant. In the spring, they began the Vicksburg campaign.

Colonel Gill led his regiment through several battles during the Vicksburg campaign. He was recognized for his leadership. However, after the campaign, he became very ill. He had to return to Wisconsin to get better. He left the army on July 9, 1863, during the Siege of Jackson.

Life After the War

After recovering from his illness, Charles Gill went back to being a lawyer. He eventually returned to public office. In 1865, the Republican Party chose him to run for Attorney General of Wisconsin. He ran with Lucius Fairchild for Governor.

Before accepting his nomination, Charles Gill strongly disagreed with the party's platform. This platform supported President Andrew Johnson's plans for rebuilding the country after the war. It also opposed giving African Americans the right to vote. Charles Gill did not win this argument at the convention, and the party adopted the platform. However, after the Republicans won the 1865 election, the new Legislature demanded that Senator Doolittle resign. This showed that Charles Gill's criticisms were right.

Charles Gill was elected Attorney General in 1865 and was re-elected in 1867.

Later Career and Health Issues

After leaving office in January 1870, he bought a farm in Blooming Grove, Wisconsin. He also moved his law practice to Madison. President Grant appointed him as a lawyer for the U.S. government. He worked on talks about improving the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers.

In 1876, President Grant made him the U.S. Commissioner of Pensions. However, Charles Gill had to resign after only a few weeks because of his poor health. He was still suffering from the illness that had made him leave the army in 1863. This illness continued to bother him for the rest of his life. He died at age 52 in 1883.

Family Life

Charles Gill married Martha Lanckton on September 17, 1854. They had eight children together. Seven of their children lived to be adults. Their son, Hiram Gill, later became the Mayor of Seattle, Washington, in the early 1900s.