Dodge, Henry

Dodge, Henry

(1782–1867) pioneer, soldier, U.S. representative/senator; born at Post Vincennes, Ind. He moved to Spanish Louisiana (1796), to Illinois, and eventually to present-day Wisconsin. He served in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War. He was governor of the Territory of Wisconsin (1836–41, 1845–48) and served in the U.S. House of Representatives (Dem., Wis.; 1841–45) and the U.S. Senate (Dem., Wis.; 1848–57) where he voted against the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was known for his fairness and toughness in his relations with the Native Americans.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.