US Congressman. Elected as a Republican to represent Wisconsin's 2nd District in the Fortieth and Forty-First Congresses, he served from 1867 until his death. Hopkins was born in Hebron, New York, the son of a poor farmer, and had little formal education. Eschewing a life in agriculture, he became an early telegraph operator and in 1849 moved to Madison, Wisconsin to run the telegraph office there. He soon took an active interest in the city's growth, helping organize the Madison Mutual Insurance Company (1851) and the Madison Gas Company (1855). From 1856 to 1857 he was private secretary to Governor Coles Bashford, though he did not make political capital of this until his first bid for the US House of Representatives in 1862 (he failed to secure his party's nomination). He was a member of the State Senate (1862 to 1863) and the State Assembly (1866) before finally winning a seat on Capitol Hill. During his tenure he was Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Long afflicted with what was described as "inflammatory rheumatism", Hopkins was too ill to attend Congress for most of 1869, returning briefly in September of that year to vote on legislation important to his constituents. He died in Madison. There is a cenotaph in his memory at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.
US Congressman. Elected as a Republican to represent Wisconsin's 2nd District in the Fortieth and Forty-First Congresses, he served from 1867 until his death. Hopkins was born in Hebron, New York, the son of a poor farmer, and had little formal education. Eschewing a life in agriculture, he became an early telegraph operator and in 1849 moved to Madison, Wisconsin to run the telegraph office there. He soon took an active interest in the city's growth, helping organize the Madison Mutual Insurance Company (1851) and the Madison Gas Company (1855). From 1856 to 1857 he was private secretary to Governor Coles Bashford, though he did not make political capital of this until his first bid for the US House of Representatives in 1862 (he failed to secure his party's nomination). He was a member of the State Senate (1862 to 1863) and the State Assembly (1866) before finally winning a seat on Capitol Hill. During his tenure he was Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Long afflicted with what was described as "inflammatory rheumatism", Hopkins was too ill to attend Congress for most of 1869, returning briefly in September of that year to vote on legislation important to his constituents. He died in Madison. There is a cenotaph in his memory at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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