Henry Clay Sloan (August 12, 1846January 19, 1915) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer and politician. He served two non-consecutive terms in 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, ...

. His father, , and uncle, , both served in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Early life

Henry C. Sloan was born in DeRuyter,

Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was fir ...

, on August 12, 1846. As a child, he moved west with his parents in 1854, settling at

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city ...

, where he was raised and educated. When he was old enough, he was sent to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to study law with his uncle.

Military service

While in New York, he ran away from his uncle's home and joined up with a New York regiment for service 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 ...

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 ...

. In December 1863, he transferred to the 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and served as a private in Company D. He served with the 5th Wisconsin Infantry in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

in the eastern theater of the war and participated in the battles at the Wilderness,

Spotsylvania Courthouse Spotsylvania Courthouse is a census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place (CDP), t ...

, North Anna,

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, and 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 ...

. In July 1864, he was commissioned as a

2nd 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 ...

in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, but when it was determined that he was just 17 years old, he was forced to resign. He re-enlisted with the Wisconsin volunteers and was commissioned

1st 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 ...

of Company I in the new 48th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He served with the 48th Wisconsin Infantry through the end of the war, and then secured a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the regular

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant in July 1866 and served with the 4th U.S. Infantry Regiment through the end of 1870, working on railroad construction in the west.

Legal and political career

After leaving the Army, Sloan returned to studying law, this time at his father's office in Beaver Dam. He was admitted to the bar on March 5, 1872, and practiced law at Beaver Dam until 1875, when he moved to

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

. At Appleton, he was quickly elected

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

, serving from 1876 through 1880. In the Fall of 1880, he was elected to the

, serving in the 1881 session. After the 1881 legislative session, he moved 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 ...

and worked in a legal partnership with Winfield Smith until 1889. During this time he changed his political affiliation from Democratic to Republican and remained a devoted Republican for the rest of his life. He then moved to

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, and engaged in the real estate business. At Superior, he was again elected city attorney; he served on the board of public works and was president of the board of education. He was elected to his second term in the State Assembly in 1894, representing Douglas County. After the 1895 legislative session, he was appointed

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Douglas County to fill the unexpired term of C. J. Monson, who had died unexpectedly. He was subsequently elected to a full term as district attorney in the 1896 general election, serving through 1898. In 1901, he returned to Appleton, where he resumed his legal practice, working until his death in 1915. Sloan died January 19, 1915, after an

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends b ...

burst on his lung.

Personal life and family

Henry Sloan was one of eight children born to A. Scott Sloan and his wife Mary Angeline "Ann" (' Dodge). A. Scott Sloan was a prominent lawyer in early Wisconsin and served as a U.S. congressman, Wisconsin Attorney General, and Wisconsin circuit court judge. Henry Sloan's uncle,

Ithamar Sloan Ithamar Conkey Sloan (May 9, 1822December 24, 1898) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician. A Republican, he served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin. He was the brother of Andrew Scott Slo ...

, was also a prominent lawyer and served as a U.S. congressman. Henry Sloan married Helen Lois Phinney of

Green Lake, Wisconsin Green Lake is a city in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 960 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the north side of Green Lake. The city of Green Lake is the county seat for the county of Green Lake. The Tow ...

, on November 19, 1879. Helen Phinney was a descendant of

John Howland John Howland (February 23, 1673) accompanied the English Separatists and other passengers when they left England on the to settle in Plymouth Colony. He was an indentured servant and in later years an executive assistant and personal secretary ...

, one of the signers of the

Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, an ...

. They had no children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1880)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1880

Wisconsin Assembly (1894)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1894

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sloan, Henry 1846 births 1915 deaths People from Madison County, New York Politicians from Appleton, Wisconsin Politicians from Superior, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly District attorneys in Wisconsin Wisconsin city attorneys School board members in Wisconsin Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Democrats People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Military personnel from Wisconsin Union Army officers Union Army soldiers United States Marine Corps officers United States Army officers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers