Edwin Baruch Winans (May 16, 1826 – July 4, 1894) was a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from and the 22nd
governor of Michigan
The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...
.
Early life in New York and Michigan
Winans was born in
Avon, New York, and moved with his parents, John and Eliza (née Way), to Michigan in 1834. The family first moved to
Scio Township in
Washtenaw County
Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826.
Washtenaw ...
and in spring 1836 moved to
Unadilla Township in
Livingston County. His father died in the fall of 1843, and Winans moved with his mother to
Hamburg Township, also in Livingston County. His mother died in July, 1852 and Winans worked for four years in a wool carding mill. At the age of twenty, he attended
Albion College,
Albion, Michigan, for two and a half years in preparation for entering the Law School of the
University of Michigan at
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...
.
California Gold Rush
Before completing his studies, Winans was drawn by news of the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
, and in March 1850 left for California by an overland route to seek his fortune. Arriving July 20, he engaged in mining first on the north branch of the
American River near
Placerville. He continued the same work with some varied success in different parts of the state. In 1853, he was one of the members of the celebrated Randolph Hill Mining Company in the town of
Rough and Ready (now a town west of
Grass Valley
A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...
in
Nevada County). In 1855, he returned to Michigan to marry Elizabeth Galloway and then returned to California, where he continued with the company until its dissolution in 1857. He was a principal stockholder in the Rough and Ready Ditch Company and also engaged in banking in Rough and Ready.
Politics in Michigan
He returned to Michigan in 1858 and purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km
2) farm in
Hamburg Township, Michigan
Hamburg Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 21,165. It is the most populated municipality in Livingston County.
Communities
A trio of unincorpora ...
, where he and his wife had two sons, Edwin, Jr. and George. He was twice elected a member of the
Michigan State House of Representatives 1861–1865 and was a delegate to the state
constitutional convention Constitutional convention may refer to:
* Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement
*Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...
of May 15, 1867. He was a Hamburg Township supervisor, 1872–1873 and probate judge of
Livingston County 1877–1881.
Winans was elected as a
Fusion candidate and seated with the
Democrats in the
United States House of Representatives for the
Forty-eighth and
Forty-ninth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1887. He resumed agricultural pursuits in Livingston County and served as
Governor of Michigan
The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...
1891–1893. He was the first Democrat elected governor after the
American Civil War (
Josiah Begole
Josiah Williams Begole (January 20, 1815June 5, 1896) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative from 1873 to 1875 and the 19th governor of Michigan from 1883 to 1885.
Early life in New York
Begole was born in Groveland, New ...
had been elected in 1882 on a Fusionist ticket combining the
Greenback and Democratic Parties). During his tenure, several election reform bills were sanctioned, the most significant of which was the
secret Australian ballot. His son, George, acted as his private secretary.
Death and legacy
Winans died in Hamburg, Michigan at age 68, and is interred in Hamburg Cemetery.
Winans's son, also named
Edwin Baruch Winans, was a major general in the
United States Army and commanding general of the
Third Army from September 15, 1932, to September 30, 1933. He also served as superintendent of the
United States Military Academy at
West Point, New York in 1927.
References
The Political GraveyardWinans biofrom ''Cyclopedia of Michigan: historical and biographical, comprising a synopsis of general history of the state, and biographical sketches of men who have, in their various spheres, contributed toward its development'' Published New York: Western Publishing and Engraving, 1900
Winans biofrom ''American biographical history of eminent and self-made men ... Michigan Volume.'' Published Cincinnati: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1878.
from the public domain ''Portrait & Biographical Album of Ingham and Livingston Counties, Michigan'', published Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1891
National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winans, Edwin Baruch
1826 births
1894 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Michigan
Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Albion College alumni
19th-century American Episcopalians
University of Michigan Law School alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
People from Avon, New York
Burials in Michigan
19th-century Michigan politicians