October 06, 2024 | Michail Takach

Frank Blunt: legendary boss of the Bad Lands

He smoked, drank, gambled, hustled, and womanized like no other man in Milwaukee. And, one fateful day in 1893, Milwaukee learned why.

Frank Blunt and Gertrude Field, by artist Ria Brodell (https://www.riabrodell.com/)

Once he put on a man's suit, he felt like himself for the first time.

On July 12, 1893, Frank Blunt was arrested in downtown Milwaukee. It was charged that Blunt stole $175 from the home of J.G. Perkins of Fond du Lac. Blunt had stayed at the Perkins home for a few days, claiming to be a long-lost nephew. After he left town, money was discovered missing and an empty wallet was found in a chimney.

Blunt was actually a biological woman, and not just any woman, but long-missing Annie Morris of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Blunt confided that he run away from a cruel father in 1865 and “lived as a man” for the past 15 years.

She attached herself to a disabled Civil War veteran, Jesse Blunt, and passed as his son as they traveled across the country. Only Jesse Blunt knew the truth.

The story of Frank Blunt spread across the region and country. “Girl Posed As A Man – For Fifteen Years, A Man!” said newspaper headlines.

“The arrest of Frank Blunt has brought to light what might be the foundation for a novel,” said the Milwaukee Journal (July 13, 1893.)

Citizens were shocked to learn that, as Frank Blunt, a woman, had been voting in Fourth Ward elections for several years -- at a time when women weren't yet granted suffrage. As “Frank Blunt," he worked men's jobs, gambled in men's pool halls, and even caroused with females in public.

At one time, Frank even managed a Northwoods lumber camp: swamping, driving logs, teaming, and cooking in extreme weather.

The Blunts came to Milwaukee and opened a saloon on Reed Street (now 194 S 2nd St.) in Walker's Point. After a few years, Jesse and his wife Josie opened a coal shop and boarding house at 748 N. 3rd St.

Frank Blunt was well-known in the "Bad Lands" of the Fourth Ward -- as somewhat of a gigolo, whose lavish lifestyle was funded by his female suitors.

“So many curious women called to see Frank Blunt at the Fond du Lac jail that he, she or it protested, and the sheriff now denies admission to see the girl-boy,” said the Milwaukee Journal on July 20, 1893.

During the trial, a saloon-keeper confessed to nearly shooting Blunt dead for "paying heavy attentions to his wife."

"She always dressed stylishly, mingled with men, and succeeded in having an easy time of it," he told the court. "She was always very sporty in the city."

Another saloon owner reported Blunt had stolen his wife and $450 of the saloon's money. The saloon-keeper followed the couple to Chicago, Oshkosh and back to Milwaukee, but Blunt was "too cute to catch."

A court reporter note, "at 5 foot 3, 147 pounds, she would present a sorry figure in women's clothes if she were told to put them on. Unrestrained by the lacing and the tight-fitting garments of her sex, her figure has developed so much more masculine than feminine in appearance."

Milwaukee Journal, July 13, 1893

Milwaukee Journal, July 14, 1893

Milwaukee Journal, December 6, 1894

Frank Blunt married Lulu Seitz in Fond du Lac. After six years, he had affairs with other women, and Lulu called for a divorce. Neither she nor her family ever knew Blunt was not a biological man.

Later, Blunt married Gertrude Field of Eau Claire, who funded Blunt's defense. She told the Milwaukee Journal she would fight the charges all the way to the Supreme Court.

Frank told the judge that once he put on a man's suit, he felt like he was himself for the first time. He drank, smoked, swore, and gambled as much as any roughneck, and this is who he felt himself to be. He did not intend to return to women's clothing or a women's life, no matter what the verdict.

Blunt was sentenced to one year in prison in January 1894. "Wisconsin's Pantaloon Maiden Must Suffer," screamed the headlines. Blunt's pride -- and his refusal to be ridiculed -- really struck a nerve with the press.

Jesse Blunt remained in Milwaukee until his death in 1907. Several of his children changed their names to distance themselves from the controversy. His descendants are still living in Wisconsin today.

Frank Blunt was released on December 6, 1894 under the enforced identity of “Francis Morris.” His final whereabouts remain unknown to this day. Unfortunately, he has been forgotten as the transgender pioneer he was.

For over 42 years, the tavern next door to Blunt’s would be an LGBTQ destination, eventually housing Nite Beat (1960-1968,) Castaways (1968-1971,) Seaway (1972,) Jamie’s (1973,) and Ball Game (1974-2012.)

Site of the Blunt Saloon (194 S. 2nd St)