John Bullen Jr.

John Bullen V (May 16, 1803May 9, 1884), commonly known as was an American merchant, farmer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the founder of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the namesake of Bullen Middle School in Kenosha. Later in life, he moved to Minnesota and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Early life John Bullen was born in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, in 1803, and was raised there. As a young man he suffered a severe cold that developed into pneumonia, and was sent to Labrador to recuperate. As an adult, he resided in Hannibal, New York, and was appointed postmaster there. Western Emigration Company In December 1834, he hosted a meeting of his family and friends to discuss emigrating to the western territories. In a subsequent meeting in February 1835 they formalized their plans and established the "Western Emigration Company" to facilitate their project. They sold stock in the company at $10 per share and ultimately raised $4,000—shares became a popular commodity in the area with less wealthy individuals buying stock to obtain a share of the return on the wealth of the new land. This ultimately proved a poor investment, because proceeds could only be returned to investors if the claimed land was later sold, which the settlers had no intention of doing. The end result was that the settlement at Kenosha benefited the Bullens and their close friends at the expense of several hundred investors. The company dissolved in 1837, after settlement was established. In March 1835, a committee was sent west to explore land for possible settlement on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The committee initially attempted to establish a purchase at the mouth of the Root River—at the site of the present city of Racine, Wisconsin—but were unable to come to terms with the inhabitants of the area, led by Gilbert Knapp. The company chose to send another expedition under the sole authority of John Bullen, Jr., in June 1835—he was accompanied on this mission by his brother William. The Bullens settled on a spot just south of the Root River at the mouth of the Pike Creek, and began claiming land.