Wisconsin Historical Society

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Henry Dodge brought his slaves to Wisconsin

First Governor of Wisconsin a Slaveholder

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About this record

Although the Northwest Ordinance (1787) forbade the extension of slavery into Wisconsin, a number of early settlers brought slaves with them to the territory. Henry Dodge, Wisconsin's first territorial Governor, was among Wisconsin's most notable slaveowners, as this article recounts.

Citation

"First governor of Wisconsin a slaveholder." Adams County Press (1 January 1916).