Henry Conner (April 1, 1837June 7, 1918) was an

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hotelier,

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, and politician. He was a member of the

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, representing Vernon and counties during the 1891 and

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sessions. Earlier, he served as a

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 ...

officer during 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 lost his right leg due to wounds. His last name was sometimes spelled Connor.Several obituaries spelled his name "Connor", whereas the 1893 Blue Book and his gravestone spelled his name "Conner".

Early life

Conner was born on April 1, 1837, in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

. His father died shortly after he was born, his mother remarried and he was raised at the home of his step-father until he was about fourteen years old, receiving a liberal education. At age 14, he went to work a team of mules on the

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, but returned home after three years and apprenticed as a paper-strainer under his step-father, who then had an extensive business in that industry. A few years later, however, his step-father was ruined by the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...

, and Henry went to work for the Pennsylvania Central Railroad. In 1858, he cast his first vote for

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 ...

Alexander Henry, in his first campaign for

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. After winning the race, Mayor Henry appointed Conner as a fireman in the city's water department.

Civil War service

In April 1861, as reports arrived of the attack on Fort Sumter, Conner quit his job with the city and volunteered for service with the

. He was enrolled as a private in Company C of the 17th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment on a three-month enlistment. Cpt

His enlistment expired in August and he briefly returned to his previous job in Philadelphia. Mayor Henry was replaced by a Democrat in the 1861 election, however, and Conner lost his role. The Republican-controlled gas department in the city, however, offered him a new job, where he remained for nine months. In August of 1862, he resigned again in order to return to the Union Army. He was enrolled as a private in Company G of the

118th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 118th Pennsylvania Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They participated in several major conflicts during the war including the Battle of Gettysburg, Siege of Petersburg, and escorted ...

, but was immediately promoted to sergeant as the regiment was being organized. The regiment mustered into service August 30 and proceeded south to

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, where they were attached to 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 ...

. He served in many of the significant battles of the eastern theater of the war, beginning with the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, less than three weeks after they mustered into service. He was promoted to first sergeant in the midst of the

Fredericksburg campaign The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

in January 1863, and subsequently served at the

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. In January 1864, he was commissioned as

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of Company C. In that capacity, he was wounded in the face and neck at the

Battle of Poplar Springs Church The Battle of Peebles's Farm (or Poplar Springs Church or Poplar Grove Church) was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate works guarding Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia, during the Siege of Petersburg i ...

in the Richmond–Petersburg campaign. He missed only six weeks to recuperate, and, on his return, he was 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 ...

for Company H. He was designated for promotion to captain of Company E on March 28, 1865, but was severely wounded three days later in the Battle of Gravely Run. His right leg had to be amputated above the knee and he spent the next seven months in a hospital.

Postbellum years

While recuperating in the hospital, he mustered out of federal service and received a new appointment from the Philadelphia gas department as chief weightmaster. In the Fall of 1866, he was nominated by the Republican Party for the office of

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and won the October municipal election. He served a three year term and then returned to employment with the Pennsylvania Central Railroad Company for four years. In 1878, he visited his daughter at

Boscobel, Wisconsin Boscobel is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. (1 km) to the north of the city, across a riparian sw ...

, and became enamored with the area. He immediately leased the Park Hotel in the nearby city of

Viroqua, Wisconsin Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,504 at the 2020 census. The city is in the town of Viroqua. Etymology The town was originally named “Farwell” after Leonard J. Farwell, second Go ...

, and operated the hotel for more than a decade. He switched his allegiance to the

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and was nominated for

in 1890. He won in the Democratic wave election in Wisconsin in 1890, assisted by backlash against the passage of the anti-immigrant

Bennett Law The Bennett Law, officially chapter 519 of the 1889 acts of the Wisconsin Legislature, was a controversial state law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1889 dealing with compulsory education. The controversial section of the law was a requi ...

in the previous session. He represented the 31st State Senate district, which then comprised Vernon and counties. Conner was part of the Democratic majority which repealed the law in 1891. Conner was not a candidate for re-election in 1894, and was subsequently hired as a messenger in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, serving two years. He largely retired in 1898. He died at Snell Hospital in Viroqua on June 7, 1918, after a long period of poor health.

Personal life

In 1857, Conner married Amanda M. Bransby of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, with whom he had three children, Mary, John, and Henry, of whom only Mary survived her father. Amanda Conner died in 1908, after an illness.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1890)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1890

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Henry 1837 births 1918 deaths People from West Chester, Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia People from Viroqua, Wisconsin Pennsylvania Republicans Wisconsin Democrats Philadelphia City Commissioners Wisconsin state senators Union Army officers People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War