Allen Rusk

Allen Rusk was born on February 6, 1825, in Clayton Township, Perry County, Ohio.{{cite news|title=Lively Times of Another Era Gone, Liberty Basks in Quiet|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14466116/allen_rusk_18251904/|newspaper=The La Crosse Tribune |date=May 14, 1967|page=20|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 17, 2017}} {{Open access}} When he was a child, he moved with his family to Morgan County, Ohio, where he was raised on his father's farm and educated in the common schools.{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/historyofvernonc00spri/ |title= History of Vernon County, Wisconsin |year= 1884 |publisher= Union Publishing Company |pages= [https://archive.org/details/historyofvernonc00spri/page/621/ 621] |accessdate= December 11, 2023 }} He also apprenticed in plastering.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/3TDHUSWYUWLJF8S |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1881 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Heg |editor-first= J. E. |chapter= Biographical Sketches |page= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A3TDHUSWYUWLJF8S/full/AXIGQCJSVGPNXO82 524] |accessdate= December 11, 2023 }} In 1852, he moved came to Wisconsin, settling originally at Lancaster, Grant County. In December 1852, he hauled a load of merchandise to Vernon County for Henry McAulley, who operated a store there. While in Vernon County, Rusk began to look for land to make a permanent home for his family. He brought his family to Viroqua, Wisconsin, in October 1853, and in the spring of 1854, he selected a large plot of land in what is now Liberty, Vernon County, Wisconsin. He settled on the land in April 1855. At the time, that area was still part of a larger township of Viroqua, and Rusk is credited for getting the town of Liberty established as a separate entity.

Rusk was elected the first chairman of the Liberty town board, and served at least seven years in that role.

Rusk volunteered for duty in the Union Army in the fourth year of the American Civil War. He was enrolled as a private in Company I of the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. The 42nd Infantry mustered into federal service on September 7, 1864, and spent their entire service on provost duty in southern Illinois. They mustered out of federal service on June 20, 1865.{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00quin/ |title=The Military History of Wisconsin |year= 1866 |last= Quiner |first= Edwin B. |publisher= Clarke & Co. |chapter= Regimental History–Forty-Second to Fifty-Third Infantry |pages= [https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00quin/page/858 858–859] |accessdate= December 11, 2023 }}

Rusk was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly on the Republican Party ticket in 1877 and 1880. He served in the 1878 and 1881 legislative terms.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/5I72MHGLI4VMO8O |title= The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1878 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Bashford |editor-first= R. M. |chapter= Official Directory |page= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A5I72MHGLI4VMO8O/full/ATGXDB7N45PTE68L 483] |accessdate= December 11, 2023 }} During the 1881 term, he was serving in the Legislature while his brother was Governor.

Rusk was the sixth of 7 children born to Daniel Rusk and his wife Jane ({{nee}} Faulkner). Allen Rusk's younger brother was Jeremiah McLain Rusk, who had distinguished Union Army service in the Civil War and went on to become a U.S. congressman, Governor of Wisconsin, United States Secretary of Agriculture, and namesake of Rusk County, Wisconsin. Jeremiah's son Lycurgus J. Rusk also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Allen Rusk married Mary Newton, of Harrison County, Virginia, in 1843. They had six children together but one daughter died young. They were ultimately married for over 60 years, dying within days of each other in March 1904.{{Cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/vernon-county-censor-deaths/136648508/ |title= Fatality Among Aged People |newspaper= Vernon County Censor |date= March 16, 1904 |page= 1 |accessdate= December 11, 2023 |via= Newspapers.com }}{{cite news|title=Brother of Jeremiah Rusk|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14488631/allen_rusk_18251904/|newspaper=Davenport Morning Star|date=March 13, 1904|page=2|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 18, 2017}} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=Follows His Wife in Death|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14488646/allen_rusk_18251904/|newspaper=The Weekly Telegram|date=March 15, 1904|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 18, 2017}} {{Open access}}

The town of Liberty, Wisconsin, was formerly named "Rusk Corners" after Rusk.

{{Election box begin | title= Wisconsin Assembly, Vernon 2nd District Election, 1877}}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 6, 1877

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Allen E. Rusk

|votes = 800

|percentage = 58.82%

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Greenback Party

|candidate = Marvin Henry

|votes = 560

|percentage = 41.18%

|change =

}}

{{Election box plurality

|votes = 240

|percentage = 17.65%

|change =

}}

{{Election box total

|votes = 1,360

|percentage = 100.0%

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no swing

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title= Wisconsin Assembly, Vernon 2nd District Election, 1880}}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 2, 1880

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Allen E. Rusk

|votes = 1,309

|percentage = 57.11%

|change = -5.40pp

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = C. G. Stebbins

|votes = 983

|percentage = 42.89%

|change = +30.16pp

}}

{{Election box plurality

|votes = 326

|percentage = 14.22%

|change =-23.52pp

}}

{{Election box total

|votes = 2,292

|percentage = 100.0%

|change = +46.64%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no swing

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Find a Grave|78009618}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|us-wi-hs}}

{{s-bef|before = Henry H. Wyatt }}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nowrap|from the Vernon 2nd district}} |years= January 7, 1878{{spnd}}January 6, 1879 }}

{{s-aft|after = Roger Williams }}

{{s-bef|before = David C. Yakey }}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nowrap|from the Vernon 2nd district}} |years= January 3, 1881{{spnd}}January 2, 1882 }}

{{s-aft|after = Thomas J. Shear }}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusk, Allen}}

Category:People from Perry County, Ohio

Category:Politicians from Vernon County, Wisconsin

Category:Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Category:Wisconsin city council members

Category:People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War

Category:Union army soldiers

Category:1825 births

Category:1904 deaths

Category:Wisconsin pioneers

Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature