Pliny Norcross

Pliny Norcross
Portrait from the 1907 Wisconsin Blue Book
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Rock 2nd district
In office
January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909
Preceded byCharles L. Valentine
Succeeded byGrant U. Fisher
In office
January 5, 1885 – January 3, 1887
Preceded byWilliam B. Britton
Succeeded byJohn Winans
20th Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin
In office
April 1877 – April 1879
Preceded byJames W. St. John
Succeeded bySamuel C. Cobb
District Attorney of Rock County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1871 – January 1, 1875
Preceded byHenry A. Patterson
Succeeded byJohn W. Sale
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Rock 5th district
In office
January 7, 1867 – January 6, 1868
Preceded byAllen C. Bates
Succeeded byAlexander M. Thomson
Personal details
Born(1838-11-16)November 16, 1838
Templeton, Mass., U.S.
DiedJuly 11, 1915(1915-07-11) (aged 76)
Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathDrowning
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery, Janesville
Political party
Spouses
  • Phoebe Akin Poole
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1865; died 1900)​
  • Frances E. Spaulding
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1902⁠–⁠1915)​
Children
  • Frederick Franklin Norcross
  • (b. 1865; died 1938)
  • John Vanderpoole Norcross
  • (b. 1867; died 1940)
  • Elizabeth Leavitt (Mason)
  • (b. 1875; died 1952)
  • Edward Powers Norcross
  • (b. 1878; died 1942)
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Volunteers
Union Army
RankCaptain, USV
Unit
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Pliny Norcross (November 16, 1838 – July 11, 1915) was an American lawyer, businessman, and Republican politician from Janesville, Wisconsin. He was the 20th mayor of Janesville, and an important character in the development of the city—responsible for the first electric power-generating plants in the city. He represented Rock County in the Wisconsin State Assembly for four terms spread across the 1860s, 1880s, and 1900s, and served four years as district attorney. Earlier in life, he served as an officer in the Union Army through most of the American Civil War and was described as the first University of Wisconsin student to volunteer for the war.[1]

  1. ^ Homans, James E., ed. (1918). The Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 8. The Press Association Compilers, Inc. pp. 352–353. Retrieved January 27, 2023.