Eliab Byram Dean, Jr., (November 7, 1819July 22, 1900) was an American businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as Superintendent of Public Property under Governor William Robert Taylor, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate for the 1851 and 1852 sessions, representing Dane County. In historic documents, his name is frequently abbreviated as E. B. Dean. Biography Eliab Dean was born in Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts, in 1819. He came to the Wisconsin Territory in the early 1840s. In 1842, he settled at the village of Madison and started a merchant business with his brother, Nathaniel W. Dean, dealing in dry goods and other groceries. In 1849, Nathaniel started a solo business, and Eliab started a partnership known as Dean & Ruggles with J. D. Ruggles, dealing again in groceries and general goods. Dean also became involved in politics with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He was a political ally and business partner of other prominent Madison Democrats, such as Levi Baker Vilas, Simeon Mills, and his father-in-law Jairus C. Fairchild. He also joined the Madison masonic lodge in 1845, the first year after it was established. In 1846, he was elected to the Madison Village Board. Later that year, he was appointed probate judge for Dane County by Territorial Governor Henry Dodge, ultimately serving until the fall of 1848. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1850, representing all of Dane County for the 1851 and 1852 sessions. During the 1852 session, he was elected President pro tempore of the Senate by his colleagues. After his Senate term, with a Democratic President in power in Washington, Dean began to seek federal appointments. His allies pushed for his appointment as 2nd Assistant Postmaster General in 1853, but were unsuccessful. In 1855, however, he received an appointment as receiver of the federal land office at Superior, Wisconsin, from President Franklin Pierce. The 1860s saw Democrats significantly diminished in Wisconsin due to the politics of the American Civil War. During these years, Dean served several terms on the Madison City Council. He was also a delegate from Wisconsin to the 1864 Democratic National Convention, which nominated General George B. McClellan, and the 1872 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Horace Greeley. In 1873, William Robert Taylor was elected Governor of Wisconsin—the first Democratic Governor of the state since 1856. His election set off an intense competition among