George Bennett (Wisconsin politician)

[1] Bennett was a founder of the "Western Emigration Company" which was established in the winter of 1834-35 at the home of John Bullen, Jr., in Oswego County, New York.

The company was created to formalize and fund their plans to move west, along with co-founders Charles W. Turner, Waters Towsley, James Scott, Dr. B.

They moved south to the mouth of the Root River, but found that area was also already settled—by Gilbert Knapp, William Luce, and others—in what would become Racine, Wisconsin.

On April 5, 1850, the village board convened in special session to hand over authority to the newly incorporated City of Kenosha.

[2][3] Bennett partnered with William Bullen and Beach G. Spencer in establishing one of the first stores in the settlement, where they sold supplies imported from New York via ship.

[4] When news of the attack on Fort Sumter reached Wisconsin, at the outbreak of the American Civil War, a meeting was called at the Kenosha courthouse for April 17, 1861.