John W. Thomas (Wisconsin politician)

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This article is about the early 20th century Wisconsin politician from Chippewa County. For others of the same name, see John Thomas.

John W. Thomas
24th district
In office
January 4, 1909 – January 6, 1913
Preceded byJames H. Noble
Succeeded byRobert W. Monk
8th Railroad Commissioner of Wisconsin
In office
January 5, 1903 – January 7, 1907
Preceded byGraham L. Rice
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Chippewa 2nd district
In office
January 7, 1895 – January 5, 1903
Preceded byHenry Lebeis
Succeeded byWilliam B. Bartlett
Treasurer of Chippewa County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1885 – January 1, 1887
Preceded byE. P. Hastings
Succeeded byA. J. McDonald
Personal details
Born(1846-03-31)March 31, 1846
Wales, UK
DiedMarch 8, 1925(1925-03-08) (aged 78)
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeCopp Cemetery, Anson, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Marcella M. Fuller
​
​
(m. 1868⁠–⁠1925)​
Children
  • Mildred S. Thomas
  • (b. 1869; died 1873)
  • Clarence Thomas
  • (b. 1873; died 1874)
  • Laura Thomas
  • (b. 1876; died 1876)
  • Sarah (Hartzell)
  • (b. 1880; died 1940)
  • Albert H. Thomas
  • (b. 1884; died 1906)
OccupationFarmer, politician
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Volunteers
Years of service1864–1865
RankPrivate
Unit36th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

John W. Thomas (March 31, 1846 – March 8, 1925) was a

Wisconsin State Senate (1909–1912) and eight years in the State Assembly (1895–1902), representing Chippewa County
.

Early life and war service

Thomas was born on March 31, 1846, in Wales. At age 3, he emigrated to the United States with his parents. They settled in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, but he was orphaned at age 7. From then, he lived with a family of neighbors, and, at age 11, he accompanied that family west to Chippewa County, Wisconsin. They settled in the town of Anson, Wisconsin, where he was educated in the common schools.[1]

Just before his 18th birthday, he volunteered for service in the

eastern theater of the war. They arrived in time to join Grant's Overland Campaign, which would grind through Virginia over the Spring of 1864, and would spend the next year in the trenches in the Siege of Petersburg. They then participated in the Appomattox campaign which culminated in Lee's surrender.[3]

Thomas returned to Anson after the war and settled a farm, where he maintained a herd of dairy cows, producing award-winning butter products.[4]

Political career

Thomas became deeply involved in local politics in Anson; he was elected town clerk for seven years, was secretary of the school board for three years, was town treasurer for four years, and was a member of the town board for nine years, serving seven years as chairman.[4] He was also elected to the Chippewa County board of supervisors, was chairman for two years, and was elected to one term as county treasurer in 1884.

He was also active in the Chippewa County Agricultural Society, was secretary for eight years, and was president in 1883. He was also a director of the Eagle Point Insurance Company for more than 20 years, and was treasurer of the company for two years. He was appointed to the State Board of Agriculture in 1897, and reappointed in 1899.[4]

He was elected to his first state office in 1894, when he ran for Wisconsin State Assembly in Chippewa County's 2nd Assembly district. The 2nd district comprised almost all of the county, except for the more densely-populated southwest corner.[4] He was re-elected in 1896, 1898, and 1900. During his years in the Assembly, he was always a member of the committee on railroads and was chairman during the 1899 and 1901 sessions.[5]

In 1902, rather than running for another term in the Assembly, he was the Republican nominee for state railroad commissioner. He won the 1902 election with 53% of the vote in a five-way race.[5] He went on to win re-election in 1904. During the 1905 Wisconsin legislative session, the Legislature decided to abolish the position of railroad commissioner and replace it with a board of commissioners appointed by the governor.[6]

In the 1906 election, Thomas sought the Republican nomination for State Treasurer of Wisconsin, but he lost the Republican primary to Andrew H. Dahl.[7]

In 1908, Thomas returned to elected office when he was elected to the

24th State Senate district—then-comprising all of Chippewa, Eau Claire, and Gates counties.[8]
He did not run for another term in 1912 and never held another elected office, but remained active for much of the rest of his life supporting Republican candidates and attending Republican conventions.

Personal life and family

John W. Thomas married Marcella Fuller in 1868. They had five children together, though three died in infancy and a fourth child died young.

John Thomas died in Chippewa Falls on March 8, 1925. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.[1]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner (1902, 1904)

Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner Election, 1902[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1902
Republican John W. Thomas 189,905 53.42% -6.42%
Democratic W. A. Redner 138,119 38.85% +2.57%
Social Democratic Oscar L. Lowry 17,197 4.84% +3.33%
Prohibition
 John W. Evans 9,428 2.65% +0.40%
Socialist Labor August Simons 866 0.24% +0.13%
Plurality 51,786 14.57% -8.99%
Total votes 355,515 100.0% -19.34%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner Election, 1904[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1904
Republican John W. Thomas (incumbent) 248,499 55.71% +2.30%
Democratic Ed L. Hanton 148,887 33.38% -5.47%
Social Democratic Harry E. Briggs 27,509 6.17% +1.33%
Republican Fred O. Tarbox 11,285 2.53%
Prohibition
 David Wood 9,581 2.15%
Socialist Labor Carl Gross 266 0.06%
Plurality 99,612 22.33% +7.77%
Total votes 446,027 100.0% +25.46%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Treasurer (1906)

Wisconsin State Treasurer Election, 1906[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Primary, September 4, 1906
Republican Andrew H. Dahl 44,797 29.95%
Republican John J. Kempf 41,886 28.00%
Republican John W. Thomas 28,617 19.13%
Republican Julius Howland 21,771 14.56%
Republican Henry D. James 12,505 8.36%
Plurality 2,911 1.95%
Total votes 149,576 100.0%

Wisconsin Senate (1908)

Wisconsin Senate, 24th District Election, 1908[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 3, 1908
Republican John W. Thomas 7,901 58.86% +0.50%
Democratic W. H. Frawley 5,522 41.14% +2.98%
Plurality 2,379 17.72% -2.48%
Total votes 13,423 100.0% +3.20%
Republican hold


References

  1. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  2. ^ "Thirty-Sixth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Report). Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 603. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History–Thirty-Sixth Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Chicago, Clarke & co. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1901. pp. 742–743. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Erickson, Halford, ed. (1903). "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 1071. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  6. Newspapers.com
    .
  7. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  8. ^ a b "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1911. p. 745. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1905. pp. 1071–1072. Retrieved December 20, 2022.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Graham L. Rice
 Republican nominee for Railroad Commissioner of Wisconsin
1902, 1904 		Office abolished
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Chippewa 2nd district
January 7, 1895 – January 5, 1903 		Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the
24th
district
January 4, 1909 – January 6, 1913 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Graham L. Rice
 Railroad Commissioner of Wisconsin
January 5, 1903 – January 7, 1907 		Office abolished
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