of his class of people at the election. During the winter he broke through the ice while engaged on the river. Accordingly, Governor Nelson Dewey, governor of the state of Wisconsin, made out a commission with an appointment, and sent it at once to Foster, who had received the next largest number of votes at the previous election (by the support of the farmers), to come to Hudson, and take charge of the first court. Foster by this means obtained the office and continued to discharge its duties until the 1853 separation of Polk and Pierce counties from St. Croix. American Civil War Foster was known for his Copper Head Democrat political views and was often the subject of scorn by the local newspaper's Republican editor. Legislature In 1870, Foster was the Democratic nominee for the Pierce County Wisconsin State Assembly seat against Republican incumbent Oliver S. Powell. He lost to Powell, with 413 votes to Powell's 902. References Fifty Years in the Northwest Folsom published in 1888 History of Northern Wisconsin published in 1881 Pierce County Heritage Series Vol II. (Joel Foster reminiscences of River Falls) 1814 births 1885 deaths People from Meriden, Connecticut American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin state court judges Quartermasters Deaths due to animal attacks in the United States Accidental deaths in Wisconsin People from River Falls, Wisconsin 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians