George W. Cate
George W. Cate | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district | |
In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 | |
Preceded by | Alexander S. McDill |
Succeeded by | Thaddeus C. Pound |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 7th Circuit | |
In office June 1, 1854 – March 4, 1875 | |
Succeeded by | Gilbert L. Park |
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Marathon and Portage district | |
In office January 1, 1852 – January 1, 1854 | |
Preceded by | Thomas J. Morman |
Succeeded by | Walter D. McIndoe |
Personal details | |
Born | George Washington Cate September 17, 1825 Montpelier, Vermont |
Died | March 7, 1905 Stevens Point, Wisconsin | (aged 79)
Resting place | Forest Cemetery Stevens Point, Wisconsin |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses |
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Children |
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George Washington Cate (September 17, 1825 – March 7, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the
Biography
Born in Montpelier, Vermont, Cate attended the common schools. He studied law in the office of Lucius Benedict Peck in Montpelier, paying his expenses by teaching school. He was admitted to the bar at Montpelier in April 1844.[2]
He moved to the Wisconsin Territory in 1845 and supported himself in the lumber industry until he began the practice of law in Plover, in Portage County, on January 1, 1848. He served as Deputy Postmaster, Register of Deeds, and Clerk to the Board of Supervisors that year. In 1849, he was elected District Attorney and served for two terms. He moved to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in 1852, where he opened a law office. He served as member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1852 and 1853.
Cate was elected
He resumed the practice of law in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and lived there for the rest of his life. Twenty years after leaving office, he was nominated for congress again against his own protests in 1896. At the time, he sent a telegram to the nominating convention saying: "I cannot possibly accept nomination. I am old and poor."[4] Despite his protests, the convention nominated him unanimously, and Cate reluctantly participated in a final campaign. He was badly beaten in the general election, receiving just 38% of the vote.[5]
Cate died peacefully at his home in Stevens Point on the morning of March 7, 1905, after suffering from worsening asthma. He was interred in Forest Cemetery, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.[2]
Personal life and family
George Cate was a son of Isaac and Clarissa (née McKnight) Cate of Vermont. His father was a non-commissioned officer in the War of 1812, and his grandfather was an enlisted volunteer in the American Revolutionary War.[2]
On October 24, 1851, George W. Cate married Levara Serena Brown (1836–1916) at Stevens Point.[2] They raised eight children: Albert George Cate (1851–1933), Lynn Boyd Cate (1854–1937), Ida Levara Cate (1856–1866), Annie Serena Cate (1859–1881), Carrie Levara Cate (1864–1944) married William Jerome Cronyn, M.D., LL.B., who helped to establish Marquette University,[6] Henry Brown Cate (1870–1956), Ruth Gray Cate (1874–1955), Georgeana Cate (1879–1949) married Gerhard Melvin Dahl, J.D., who was Vice President of Chase National Bank from 1917 to 1923 and then chairman of the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit Corp. in New York City from 1923 to 1943.[7]
Electoral history
U.S. House of Representatives (1874, 1876)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 3, 1874 | |||||
Reform | George W. Cate | 9,446 | 50.01% | ||
Republican | Alexander S. McDill (incumbent) | 9,444 | 49.99% | -9.68% | |
Plurality | 2 | 0.01% | -19.34% | ||
Total votes | 18,890 | 100.0% | +5.24% | ||
Reform gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 7, 1876 | |||||
Republican | Thaddeus C. Pound | 14,838 | 51.69% | ||
Democratic | George W. Cate (incumbent) | 13,869 | 48.31% | -1.69% | |
Plurality | 969 | 3.38% | +3.36% | ||
Total votes | 28,707 | 100.0% | +51.97% | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
U.S. House of Representatives (1896)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 3, 1896 | |||||
Republican | Edward S. Minor (incumbent) | 26,471 | 60.30% | +6.08% | |
Democratic | George W. Cate | 13,869 | 38.37% | -3.92% | |
Prohibition
|
John W. Evans | 580 | 1.32% | ||
Plurality | 9,626 | 21.93% | +10.00% | ||
Total votes | 28,707 | 100.0% | +51.97% | ||
Republican hold |
References
- ^ "George W. Cate, Wisconsin Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-17.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Prospects in Wisconsin", The New York Times, October 28, 1876
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Casson, Henry, ed. (1897). "Election Statistics". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin 1897 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 290. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ "History of Milwaukee, city and county, Vol. 2", pp. 658-662
- ^ "George Washington Cate", Pioneer Profiles, Stevens Point Area Genealogical Society
- ^ a b Bashford, R. M., ed. (1878). "Election statistics". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 400. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
Sources
- United States Congress. "George W. Cate (id: C000248)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.