Frederick J. Ties (January 4, 1841March 27, 1928) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

immigrant, farmer, 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 Green County during the

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 ...

and

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

sessions. As a young man, he served in 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 ...

throughout 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 ...

, and was wounded and taken prisoner at the

Battle of Jackson, Mississippi The Battle of Jackson was fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of the Vicksburg campaign during the American Civil War. After entering the state of Mississippi in late April 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union ...

Early life and war service

Fred Ties was born January 4, 1841, in the village of Hagedorn, in what is now western

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At the time of his birth, it was the

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar Republic and from 1918 ...

, in the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

. He was educated in the German public schools in

Lippe-Detmold Lippe (later Lippe-Detmold and then again Lippe) was a historical state in Germany, ruled by the House of Lippe. It was located between the Weser river and the southeast part of the Teutoburg Forest. It was founded in the 1640s under a separa ...

. In 1858, he 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 ...

with his parents and settled in the town of Spring Grove,

Green County, Wisconsin Green County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,093. Its county seat is Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe. Green County is included in the M ...

, where he went to work as a farm hand. At the outbreak of the

, he volunteered for service with the

and was enrolled as a private in Company B of the

18th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 18th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army in the western theater of the American Civil War. A large portion of the regiment was captured in their first battle, at Shiloh, but they went ...

. The regiment mustered into service in March 1862, and almost immediately went into battle at Shiloh, where their colonel was killed and much of the regiment was captured. After the regiment was reconstituted, it participated in the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

. During that campaign, he was wounded during a

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

charge at the

, and was taken prisoner. He was sent to

Libby prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

, but was

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

d after a short time and returned to his regiment. After returning from captivity, Ties was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and ultimately first sergeant. He achieved veteran status with his regiment by re-enlisting at the end of his three-year term of service and was also designated

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 ...

of his company, but was never officially mustered at that rank. At the end of the war, he marched with his regiment at the

Grand Review of the Armies The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in the ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Political career

After the war, Ties returned to Spring Grove and bought a farm, which he continued to operate for at least the next 40 years. He was elected town chairman three times and also served several terms as town assessor. He became active in the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...

and was elected county clerk in 1892, running on the Republican Party ticket. He was re-elected in 1894 and 1896. In 1899, he bought a home in the city of

Brodhead, Wisconsin Brodhead is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, Green and Rock County, Wisconsin, Rock counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,274 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. In February 2000, the city annexed a portion of l ...

, which became his primary residence. In 1900, the county board elected him as superintendent of the poor and trustee of the Green County Insane Asylum. He was re-appointed in 1903 and 1906, and served as secretary of the board of trustees of the asylum. He was also elected to the Brodhead board of education in 1903 and 1907, and served as president of that board. In 1904, he was elected to the

, running on the Republican ticket. His district comprised all of Green County. He was subsequently re-elected in 1906. The 1906 election was quite close, decided by less than 25 votes. His Democratic opponent in 1906, Monroe mayor Willis Ludlow, contested the results of that election, but Ties ultimately prevailed. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1908, and was succeeded by fellow Republican A. B. Comstock.

Personal life and family

Fred Ties married twice. His first wife was Rossie Emminger, who had been an orphan and was adopted by Spring Grove farmer James R. Coulter. Ties had seven children with his first wife, though one died in childhood. Rossie Ties died in 1884. Ties subsequently remarried with Jane Mooney, but had no additional children. Ties died at his home in Brodhead, Wisconsin. He was survived by his second wife and four adult children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1904, 1906)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1904 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1906

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ties, Fred 1841 births 1928 deaths Politicians from the Province of Westphalia Prussian emigrants to the United States People from Spring Grove, Wisconsin People from Brodhead, Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin County clerks in Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war