Lucius Fairchild

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Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831 – May 23, 1896) was an American politician, army general, and diplomat. He served as the 10th governor of Wisconsin and as U.S. Minister to Spain.

Fairchild was born in Portage County, Ohio, the son of Jairus Fairchild, who served as mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and younger brother of Cassius Fairchild, who was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He moved to Madison with his parents in 1846. As a youth, Fairchild left home to travel to California, in 1849, during the Gold Rush and returned to Madison in 1855. Fairchild was clerk of the court from 1859 to 1860.

He enlisted in the army in 1861 in the Wisconsin volunteer infantry and served in the Civil War in the famed Iron Brigade. He rose through the ranks to colonel of the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. At the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, he was wounded in the first day's fighting and lost his left arm. He was promoted to brigadier general before being mustered out of the service.

From 1864 to 1866, Fairchild was the secretary of state of Wisconsin, and Governor of Wisconsin for three terms from 1866 to 1872. After his time as governor, Fairchild was appointed U.S. consul at Liverpool in 1871 and then consul general at Paris. From 1880 to 1881, Fairchild was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain.

Preceded by James T. Lewis	Governor of Wisconsin 1866 – 1872	Succeeded by Cadwallader C. Washburn
Preceded by James Russell Lowell	U.S. Ambassador to Spain 1880–1881	Succeeded by Hannibal Hamlin