James Woodbury Perkins, Jr., (September 16, 1840August 18, 1892) 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 ...

businessman 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 a member of 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, ...

, representing Adams and Marquette counties in the

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

and 1887 sessions. As a young man, he 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 ...

through the entire

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 ...

Biography

James W. Perkins, Jr., was born in

Warner, New Hampshire Warner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,937 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, Rollins State Park and Mount Kearsarge State Forest. The town's centra ...

, on September 16, 1840. He received an academic education and moved to

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 ...

in 1857, settling at New Chester, in Adams County. At the outbreak of the

, Perkins volunteered for service in the

. On September 6, 1861, he was enrolled as a private in Company H of the

11th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 11th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 11th Wisconsin was raised at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service October 18, 1861. The re ...

. With the 11th Wisconsin Infantry, he participated in the fighting in the western theater of the war, and was involved in several of the important battles of the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

. He was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

, and later to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. At the expiration of his three year enlistment in 1864, he re-enlisted as a veteran and continued with his regiment until the end of the war. He mustered out with his regiment on September 4, 1865. After returning from the war, he worked as a dealer of agricultural equipment. He became involved in local politics and served as justice of the peace, town clerk, postmaster, and town chairman. He also served four years as chairman of the board of supervisors of Adams County. He was elected to the

in 1884, running on the Republican Party ticket and defeating Democratic incumbent Samuel Tanner. He was re-elected in 1886, but did not run for a third term in 1888 and left office in January 1889. During the 1887 session, he served as chairman of the committee on charitable and penal institutions. He relocated to

Westfield, Wisconsin Westfield is a village in Marquette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,254 at the 2010 census. The village is located mostly within the Town of Westfield. A small portion extends east into the adjacent Town of Harris. The M ...

, in neighboring Marquette County, after his term in the Assembly. He died at his home in Westfield on August 18, 1892.

Personal life and family

James Perkins' father, James Woodbury Perkins, Sr., was a physician and Christian minister. The Perkins family were direct descendants of John Perkins, a British colonist from

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

who settled in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

in 1631. James Perkins, Jr., married twice. His first wife was Mary A. Atkins of

Milton, Wisconsin Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,716 at the 2020 census. History The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction. In November of that year, ballot ...

. They married on January 1, 1866, and had at least four children before her death in 1874. Perkins then married Martha M. Keller of Philadelphia on November 8, 1874, and had at least three more children, though two of those (twins) died in infancy.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1884, 1886)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1884 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1886

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, James Woodbury 1840 births 1892 deaths People from Warner, New Hampshire Politicians from Rochester, New York People from Adams County, Wisconsin People from Westfield, Marquette County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Businesspeople from Wisconsin County officials in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century Wisconsin politicians