Charles Reynolds (November 15, 1839February 2, 1914) was an

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

immigrant, businessman, and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He was a member of the

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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing Door County during the

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...

and

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

sessions.

Early life and Civil War service

Reynolds was born on November 15, 1839, in

County Longford, Ireland County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,634 ...

. He was raised and educated in Ireland, and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1860, following his brother, John, to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

broke out shortly after his arrival in Wisconsin. He was among some of the earliest volunteers for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, joining up with a company that would become Company A of the

12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 12th Wisconsin was raised at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service October 18, 1861. The regim ...

. As the 12th Wisconsin Infantry was being organized, Reynolds was selected to serve as

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

of the regiment. The 12th Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service in October 1861 and was sent south for service in the western theater of the war. The regiment spent much of 1862 and 1863 guarding railroad lines in Kansas, Tennessee, and northern Mississippi. Reynolds was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and transferred back to Company A in March of 1862, and was then promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in April 1863. With his regiment, he participated in the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

, the

Meridian campaign The Meridian campaign or Meridian expedition took place from February 3 – March 6, 1864, from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Meridian, Mississippi, by the Union Army of the Tennessee, led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman captured Mer ...

, and the Atlanta campaign through the latter half of 1863 and 1864. After Atlanta, his captain resigned and Reynolds was promoted to captain of Company A. They then joined

Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...

and his subsequent

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January 1 ...

. In the Spring of 1865, he was detailed to the brigade staff of general Charles Ewing as an assistant

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

, where he remained until the end of the war.

Career

After returning to Wisconsin, Reynolds became involved in real estate and bought out a bankrupt property previously owned by his brother, John, in

Jacksonport, Wisconsin Jacksonport is a town in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 738 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Jacksonport and West Jacksonport are located in the town. Part of Clark Lake is in the Town of Jacksonp ...

. Under Charles Reynolds' management, the Jacksonport property prospered and drew in new settlers and commerce. Reynolds employed a large population of laborers for lumbering and sold the products around the region. In Door County, he became involved in politics and was elected to the

in 1902 and 1904. He did not run for re-election in 1906 and was succeeded by his brother, Thomas Reynolds. After leaving the Assembly, he became involved with the Merchants Exchange Bank, and was vice president of the bank before his death. He spent the Winter of 1913–1914 in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, and died there on February 2, 1914.

Personal life and family

Charles Reynolds was one of nine children born to Irish farmers Michael and Mary Ann (' McCann) Reynolds. His mother died when he was a child. Charles' older brother, John, was the first to come to America, followed by Charles in 1860, and then by his brother Michael in 1864. His younger brother Thomas and their sister Katherine came to America in 1866, followed finally, by their father and remaining siblings in 1867. His brother, Thomas, also ended up in Door County and prospered there as a farmer. He also served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Thomas' son was John W. Reynolds, Sr., the 26th

attorney general of Wisconsin The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, ...

, and his grandson was

John W. Reynolds, Jr. John Whitcome Reynolds Jr. (April 4, 1921January 6, 2002) was the List of Governors of Wisconsin, 36th Governor of Wisconsin (1963–1965) and served 21 years as a United States federal judge, United States district judge in the United States ...

, a federal judge and the 36th

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

. Charles Reynolds married Mary Mahan on April 9, 1870. Mary was a daughter of

Asa Mahan Asa Mahan (; November 9, 1799April 4, 1889) was a U.S. Congregational clergyman and educator and the first president of both the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) and Adrian College. He described himself as "a religious teacher ...

, a

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister who served as the first president of

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, and served as president of two other colleges. Charles and Mary had five children, though four of them died in childhood, and their last child died at age 21.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Charles 1839 births 1914 deaths Politicians from County Longford Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin People from Door County, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army officers Union Army soldiers