William A. Barstow

William Augustus Barstow was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was Wisconsin's third governor (1854–1856) and second Secretary of State (1850–1852). Barstow's administration was infamous in its era for corruption involving the railroad industry. For decades after, Barstow's name became synonymous with the epithets "Barstow and the 40 thieves" and "Barstow and the balance", phrases that referred to the participants in a scheme in which Barstow and dozens of lawmakers of both parties received bribes from the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad to influence land grants. Barstow also attempted to steal the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, and then illegitimately occupied the office of governor for the first three months of 1856 until compelled to resign. Despite the ubiquity of the charges against him and a lengthy investigation by the Wisconsin Legislature, Barstow never faced criminal liability over these events.