Wiley Scribner was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician and acting governor of Montana Territory

Montana Territory

The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...

 from 1869 to 1870.

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois

Jacksonville, Illinois

Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....

, Scribner grew up in Fair Play, Wisconsin

Fair Play, Wisconsin

Fair Play is an unincorporated community located in the town of Jamestown in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States.-Notes:...

, in Grant County, Wisconsin

Grant County, Wisconsin

Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...

, where he became postmaster and was a merchant. He was admitted to the bar. Scribner served in the 16th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment

16th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 16th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 16th Wisconsin was raised at Madison, Wisconsin and mustered into Federal service January 31, 1862....

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. In 1866, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

. Scribner moved to Montana Territory, where he became a newspaper editor and eventually became secretary of Montana Territory and acting governor of the territory. In 1873, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he practiced law and became clerk of the probate court. Scribner was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. In 1884, Scribner was elected recorder of deeds

Recorder of deeds

Recorder of deeds is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.-Background:...

 for Cook County, Illinois

Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

serving until his death.