Henry Kleist (September 29, 1860 – November 13, 1929) was a farmer from

Rantoul, Wisconsin Rantoul is a town in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 798 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Wells is located partially in the town. Geography The Town of Rantoul is located in northeastern Calume ...

, United States, who served one term as a

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

. He was a member of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

. Kleist was born on a farm in the Town of Eaton,

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc County ...

on September 29, 1860. Six years later his parents moved to the Town of Rantoul in

Calumet County Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton. The county was created in 1836 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1850. Calumet ...

. He attended public schools as a boy in the winter, working on the farm in summer, and later worked in the woods in winter. After the 1888 death of his father, he and his brother, Charles, operated the homestead farm, now known as Kleist Brothers' Grain and Dairy Farm, and continued to live with their mother. By 1918, he was president of the Calumet County branch of the

American Society of Equity The American Society of Equity or Farmers Equity was an American agricultural cooperative and political organization, founded in 1902, which aimed to organize farmers as a "Third Power" in the United States, able to compete with capital and org ...

(at that time "the greatest farmer organization that the State had ever known") and the Farmers Advancement Association of Brillion. He had a long history of activism in both farmers' organizations. He was also a member of the Brillion

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

and

Odd Fellow The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

lodges. In 1918, he was elected to the State Senate as a Socialist for the 15th district (Calumet and Manitowoc counties) to succeed

Henry Rollman Henry Rollmann (February 9, 1853 – August 23, 1927) was a Wisconsin pharmacist and businessman who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin S ...

, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Kleist received 4,393 votes to 3,611 for Democrat Leo P. Fox. He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s on the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

, and on "Reconstruction and Readjustment". In 1920, he was the Socialist nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, r ...

, losing to

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 ...

(and fellow

dairy farmer Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

)

George Comings George Fisher Comings (March 18, 1849 – June 10, 1942) was an American politician, a dairyman, an agricultural lecturer, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Comings was born in Greensboro, Vermont, in 1849. He moved ...

. As a result of the poor performance of the Socialist candidates in that election, he found himself Wisconsin's sole non-

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 ...

Socialist legislator from 1921 to the end of his term. The Senate was

redistricted Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each decennial census. The U.S. Constitution in Ar ...

after the 1920 census, with Calumet and Manitowoc counties split between the

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

and 1st districts; Kleist did not run for re-election in either of these new districts. In the new 15th District ( Rock County), he was succeeded by

Alva Garey Alva Edward Garey (June 2, 1883 – September 9, 1971) was an American educator, soldier, and politician. Background Garey was born on June 2, 1883, in Porter, Wisconsin. He was educated in the public school at Stebbinsville. He farmed, ...

, a Republican. He died of heart trouble at his home in

Potter, Wisconsin Potter is a village in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 253 at the 2010 census. History Potter was established near a Native American village along the Manitowoc River. It was originally named Muskratville becau ...

on November 13, 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleist, Henry 1860 births Farmers from Wisconsin People from Brillion, Wisconsin People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators 1929 deaths People from Rantoul, Wisconsin People from Calumet County, Wisconsin Leaders of the American Society of Equity