Argalus Waldo Starks (March 10, 1804 – June 28, 1870) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer.
[1] He moved to Sauk County in 1852, and in 1853 he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for the new office of State Prison Commissioner.
Prior to 1853, the state had a board of prison commissioners appointed by the Governor; an 1853 law established the elected position of State Prison Commissioner, which office was temporarily held by an appointee of the Governor until the Fall general election of 1853.
[2] Starks won the election[2] and was regarded as a fair and honest officeholder—in contrast to Governor William A. Barstow and other state officials of his time, who were implicated in a major bribery investigation.
[5] During the Civil War, his son, John Starks, served as a sergeant in Company A, 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Iron Brigade, and was badly wounded in their first major battle at Gainesville, Virginia.