Michael Griffin

Michael Griffin (September 9, 1842December 29, 1899) was an Irish American immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin, and served in the Wisconsin Legislature. As a young man, he served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War. Early life Born in County Clare on the island of Ireland (the entirety of which was then part of the U.K.), Griffin immigrated with his parents, John and Hannah Griffin, to the British Canadian colonies in 1847, and then to Ohio in 1851. He moved to Wisconsin in 1856 and settled in Newport, Sauk County. He attended the common schools of Ohio and Wisconsin. On September 11, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Union Army for service in the American Civil War. He was enrolled in Company E, 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, and served until the close of the war, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. He moved to Kilbourn City, Wisconsin, after the war, in 1865. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1868, commencing practice in Kilbourn City. He married Emma Irene Daniels on September 6, 1871. He was cashier of the Bank of Kilbourn from 1871 until 1876.