Hans Bertel Warner (born Hans Bertel Pederson; July 12, 1844August 18, 1896) was a

Norwegian American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

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 the 12th

Secretary of State of Wisconsin The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second (behind the Lieutenant Governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wiscon ...

and served four years in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing Eau Claire, Pepin, and

Pierce Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, We ...

counties.

Early life

Warner was born Hans Bertel in the valley of

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

, Norway. As a young boy in 1849, 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. They originally settled in

Dodge County, Wisconsin Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,396. Its county seat is Juneau. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844. Dodge County com ...

, but in 1855 relocated to Martell, in

Pierce County, Wisconsin Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,212. Its county seat is Ellsworth. Pierce County is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul– Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. His mother died that year and he was subsequently adopted out of the family by Judson and Almira Warner. Hans was educated in common schools and worked on his adopted father's farm until 1864, when, at age 19, he volunteered for service in 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 ...

Civil War service

On March 28, 1864, Warner was enrolled as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company G of the 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. The 37th Wisconsin Infantry had been called to urgent service that month, so the bulk of the regiment had already left the state by the time Warner enrolled. His company took several more weeks to complete its enlistment, and traveled to Virginia in June 1864, joining the regiment entrenched in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. Just a month after his arrival at Petersburg, on July 30, 1864, Warner participated in the

Battle of the Crater The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. It took place on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Arm ...

. The "Crater" refers to the massive

detonation Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with ...

of a

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

mine under a Confederate defensive fortress. The 37th Wisconsin Infantry, among

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial Germ ...

, was part of the Union assault on the Confederate position after the detonation. The 37th Wisconsin took significant casualties during the battle, and Warner was wounded and captured by the enemy. Warner spent about two months in captivity at Danville and

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 ...

until he was paroled in September. He was mustered out of service due to his wounds.

Political career

Warner returned to farming in Pierce County, and in 1868 was elected County Clerk, ultimately serving through 1877. During these years, he became a prominent member of 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 ...

, attending several state party conventions. While serving as County Clerk, in 1875 he received the Republican Party nomination for

. In this election, he was narrowly defeated by Democrat Peter Doyle, receiving 49.82% of the vote. He was renominated for another attempt at the office in 1877, and this time went on to win the general election with 44% of the vote, defeating Democrat James B. Hays and Greenbacker Joseph H. Osborne. He resigned the County Clerk's office in December of that year and took office as the 12th Secretary of State on the first Monday of 1878. He was subsequently reelected in 1879, receiving 53% of the vote. In 1881, Warner sought the Republican nomination for

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 ...

. His main rivals for the nomination were

Jeremiah McLain Rusk Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830November 21, 1893) was an American Republican politician. He was the 2nd United States Secretary of Agriculture (1889–1893) and the 15th Governor of Wisconsin (1882–1889), and served three terms in ...

, a U.S. Congressman and former Union Army colonel, and James M. Bingham, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor. After five ballots, Bingham's support collapsed; Rusk obtained the necessary majority of convention delegates and went on to become the 15th Governor of Wisconsin. Warner left office in January 1882. Later that year, however, he began another campaign, running for

in the 25th State Senate district. Warner's district comprised his home county, Pierce, as well as Pepin and Eau Claire counties. Warner won a comfortable victory in the general election, taking 61% of the vote over Democrat Frank N. McVean and Prohibitionist H. C. Van Hovenberg. In the 1882 election, voters also approved an amendment to the

Constitution of Wisconsin The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...

which changed State Senate terms from two years to four years. Warner served through 1886, and was chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Banks, and Insurance.

Later years

In 1892, Warner was elected

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

in Pierce County. In 1895, Governor

William H. Upham William Henry Upham (May 3, 1841July 2, 1924) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 18th governor of Wisconsin and served three terms as mayor of Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is the namesake of Upham, Wiscons ...

appointed him to the State Board of Control of Reformatory, Charitable, and Penal Institutions. The three-member board chose Warner as President, where he served until his death in August 1896. Warner was stricken with a stomach ailment in the summer of 1896, which was apparently exacerbated by a trip to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

to attend the Republican State Convention. He died at his home in Ellsworth on August 18, 1896.

Personal life

Warner was one of five children born to Peder Bertilson and Mari Olsdatter Berge (' Sønstegaard). All five children were born in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and the family emigrated aboard a ship named ''Preciosa''. For unknown reasons, Hans was adopted out of the family to the home of Judson and Almira Warner. His biological brothers, Ole and Amund Pederson, both also 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 ...

during the Civil War. Warner married Julia E. Hudson but had no known children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Secretary of State (1875, 1877, 1879)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1875 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1877 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1879

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Hans 1844 births 1896 deaths American adoptees People from Oppland County clerks in Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Secretaries of State of Wisconsin People from Ellsworth, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Norwegian emigrants to the United States 19th-century American politicians