Marcus Fulton

Fulton was born in Bethel, New York, in March 1836.One source gives his birth year as 1826, but the overwhelming majority agree on 1836. In 1854, he moved to Hudson, Wisconsin, with his parents and siblings.{{cite book|author=W. H. C. Folsom|year=1888|title=Fifty Years in the Northwest|url= https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsinnort00folsuoft/ |publisher= Pioneer Press Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsinnort00folsuoft/page/168/ 168] |accessdate= October 30, 2022 }}

In Hudson, their father became a pioneer merchant in the northwest, but died just four years after their arrival, in 1858. Fulton and his brother, David, inherited the business and operated it successfully, moving from general merchandise into real estate dealing.

Fulton also became involved in politics; in 1864, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly running on the National Union Party ticket. He represented a district comprising all of Pierce and St. Croix counties.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/EBXG64CWKVRXA8B |title= The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1865 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |chapter= Legislative Department |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AEBXG64CWKVRXA8B/full/ADX7HGXIYT27LF8B 89], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AEBXG64CWKVRXA8B/full/ARQRCYAJOFKZCY8M 133] |accessdate= October 30, 2022 }} Rather than running for re-election, he ran for Wisconsin State Senate in 1865 and won election in the 28th Senate district, running as a Republican.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/RDGRFJSF6IJ3M8Z |title= The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1866 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |chapter= Legislative Department |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/ARDGRFJSF6IJ3M8Z/full/AQCOGSWIQN3NPQ8E 84], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/ARDGRFJSF6IJ3M8Z/full/ATFTZOQRUGUKWO9D 139] |accessdate= October 30, 2022 }} At the end of his two year term in the Senate, he won another term in the Assembly. He ultimately served in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st legislative terms.{{cite report|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2007_2008 |title= State of Wisconsin 2007–2008 Blue Book |year= 2007 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |isbn= 978-0-9752820-2-1 |editor-last1= Barish |editor-first1= Lawrence S. |editor-last2= Lemanski |editor-first2= Lynn |chapter-url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2007_2008/300_feature.pdf |chapter=Feature Article: Those Who Served - Wisconsin Legislators 1848–2007 |pages= 105, 139 |accessdate= October 30, 2022 }}

After his terms in the Legislature, Fulton became associated with the Liberal Republican faction of Horace Greeley, and—with his brother—started the True Republican, a Liberal Republican newspaper in Hudson. Fulton soon became a Democrat as the Liberal Republicans merged into that party in the mid 1870s.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112263601/marcus-fulton-obit/ |title = Death of M. A. Fulton |newspaper= The St. Paul Globe |date= August 5, 1892 |page= 1 |accessdate= October 30, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}

In the 1870s, both Fulton brothers served as mayor of Hudson, Wisconsin. David Fulton was elected in 1877, and Marcus was then elected in 1878.{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/historyofnorther00west/ |title= History of Northern Wisconsin |publisher= Western Historical Company |year= 1881 |chapter= History of St. Croix County |page= [https://archive.org/details/historyofnorther00west/page/949/ 949] |accessdate= October 30, 2022 }} He also served on the Hudson board of education and city council.

Later in life he was an advocate for silver coinage, and wrote letters published in newspapers around the country under the pen name "Village Merchant".{{Cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112266620/marcus-fulton-silver/ |title= Hon. M. A. Fulton, of Hudson, Wisconsin, on Free Silver Coinage |newspaper= Darlington Democrat |date= March 20, 1891 |page= 4 |accessdate= October 30, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112266718/marcus-fulton-obit/ |title= The "Village Merchant" Dead |newspaper= Eau Claire Leader |date= August 7, 1892 |page= 8 |accessdate= October 30, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}

Marcus Fulton was a son of James Fulton. He had at least one younger brother, David C. Fulton, who also represented {{nobreak|St. Croix County}} in the Wisconsin State Assembly, was the 16th mayor of Hudson, Wisconsin, and served as U.S. marshal for western Wisconsin in the 1880s. The Fultons were descended from Scottish emigrants who arrived in America in 1770. Marcus Fulton's grandfather fought in the War of 1812.

Marcus Fulton married Mercy Augusta Ansley on April 9, 1863. They had six children together, though at least one died in infancy. After his first wife's death in 1876, Fulton married her sister, Adelia Frances Ansley, in 1877, and had at least four more children.

Fulton died of a stroke at his home in Hudson on August 4, 1892.

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• [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Fulton/6000000018882331201 Geni.com]
• [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:4294963828-4294963812&dsRecordDetails=R:DR325909 Wisconsin Historical Society]

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Category:1836 births

Category:1892 deaths

Category:Businesspeople from Wisconsin

Category:People from Bethel, New York

Category:People from Hudson, Wisconsin

Category:Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Category:Wisconsin state senators

Category:Wisconsin city council members

Category:School board members in Wisconsin

Category:19th-century American businesspeople

Category:American people of Scottish descent

Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature

Category:19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin