G. F. A. Atherton

George F. A. Atherton (December 31, 1790 – April 23, 1882) was an American politician from Emerald Grove, Wisconsin, who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, after being elect to the 1st Wisconsin Legislature in 1848. He represented the Rock County Towns of Bradford and Janesville
Early life.
Atherton was born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, the son of Dr Oliver Atherton (1755-1812) and Abigail Ladd (1765-1828). He is a direct descendant of James Atherton, one of the First Settlers of New England; who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1630s.
In the Assembly.
Atherton was a Democrat. He was succeeded in the next session by Anson W. Pope, a Whig.
After the Assembly.
Atherton was on the board of directors of the Madison and Beloit Railroad Company when that board voted to change its name to the Rock River Valley Union Railroad Company in 1850. He remained on the board through 1854, when a complete reorganization took place. This railroad later became the Madison Division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.
Personal.
He served in the U.S. Army and married Ruthy Bartlett as “Major George F. A. Atherton” in Charlestown, New Hampshire on Oct 7, 1818.
His son, George R. Atherton (1824-1910) represented Clinton, in the Tenth Wisconsin Legislature.
He died in Burlington, Iowa on April 23, 1882. He was buried at Aspen Grove Cemetery.