James Harrison Earnest (January 11, 1818June 12, 1900) was an

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Democratic politician and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate and six years in the

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

, representing Lafayette County.

Background

James Earnest was born in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1818. His parents died while he was still young, and, when he was about sixteen years old, he went to

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, to look for work. In 1836, he moved north into the Wisconsin Territory and settled at the township of New Diggings. He found work in the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

mines, and, after 1844, opened a store in the town and operated his own mining company. In 1850, he used his earnings to purchase an unimproved farmstead in the vicinity of

Shullsburg, Wisconsin Shullsburg is a city in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,226 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Shullsburg. Founded in 1827 it is one of the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. There are 34 bui ...

. He constructed a home and other buildings on the property. In politics, he became an outspoken supporter of the

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, which was popular with the laborers in the lead mining region. Over the next several decades, he was elected to six 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, ...

, and two 2-year terms in the Wisconsin State Senate. He was a constant defender of the economic interests of the lead mining region, until the industry began to decline in the aftermath of 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 his later years, he devoted his attention to his farmstead, where he raised thoroughbred livestock. He died at his homestead near Shullsburg on June 12, 1900, after a long illness.

Personal life and family

James Earnest married Mary E. McGown of

Mercer County, Kentucky Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,772. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county was formed from Lincoln County, Virginia in 1785 and is named for Revolutionar ...

, in 1847. They had eight children together, all of whom were still living at the time of his death in 1900.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Earnest, James H. People from Franklin, Kentucky People from Shullsburg, Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1818 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American politicians