Jesse Arthur Clason (October 15, 1860 – April 7, 1918) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

from Neosho,

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 ...

who served a single term as 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, ...

from Dodge County; he was elected as a

Gold Democrat The National Democratic Party, also known as Gold Democrats, was a short-lived political party of Bourbon Democrats who opposed the regular party nominee William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 presidential election. The party was then a "liberal" p ...

Background

Clason was born October 15, 1860, in Clason Prairie, Wisconsin, son of Michael B. and Sarah Phelps Clason. He was educated in the Clason Prairie district school and in the

Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The Milwaukee Public Schools system i ...

. He attended Wayland University in

Beaver Dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

, and began to study

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

in 1882. He apprenticed himself to Dr. S. W. Thurber, whom he accompanied to

Tecumseh, Nebraska Tecumseh is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,677 at the 2010 census. History Tecumseh was originally called Frances, and under the latter name was established in 1856. The label o ...

. On April 10, 1882, he married Dixie Lennox (1852–1884). Clason attended the

Missouri Medical College Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with o ...

, graduating on March 4, 1884. In 1884 he moved to

Elk Creek, Nebraska Elk Creek is a village in Johnson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 67 at the 2020 census. History Elk Creek got its start ''circa'' 1873, following construction of the Atchison and Nebraska Railroad through the territory. I ...

; in 1885 S, he moved briefly to Chicago, but in October returned to Dodge County, settling in Neosho and taking up medical practice there. He served as

health officer A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

of the

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

and

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; and worked as United States

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

examining surgeon in Milwaukee in 1893, and in 1894 transferred to the

Horicon, Wisconsin Horicon is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,655 at the 2010 census. Geography Horicon is located at (43.4482, -88.6329). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which ...

regional headquarters. After Clason's second wife, Bertha E. Hall (1876–1901) died of cancer of the liver, he married for a third time in 1906, to Mayme Immel (1880–1959).

Politics

Clason was organizer and first president of the Neosho Young Men's Democratic Club. He was chairman of the Dodge County Democratic committee until the

1896 Democratic National Convention The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, B ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Although Clason had been elected as a delegate to the state's Democratic convention, he was an outspoken advocate of the

gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...

. When the Chicago convention nominated

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

and adopted a

free silver Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

, he repudiated it. According to his biography in the 1897 ''

Wisconsin Blue Book The ''Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a biennial publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The ''Blue Book'' is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisc ...

'', he endorsed the

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 ...

presidential ticket of McKinley and Hobart, and

Edward Sauerhering Edward Sauerhering (June 24, 1864 – March 1, 1924) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Biography Born in Mayville, Wisconsin on June 24, 1864, Sauerhering attended the public schools. He graduated from the Chicago College of Pharmacy ...

the Republican candidate for re-election in

Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southern Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Iowa County, Lafayette County, Sauk County and Green County, as well as portions of ...

; but the ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'' had reported before the election that he was denying reports of his support for McKinley and advocating the National Democratic Party (Gold Democrat) ticket of

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...

and Buckner. He was elected to the Assembly's 1st Dodge County district (the Towns of Ashippun, Clyman, Emmet,

Hubbard Hubbard may refer to: Places Canada *Hubbard, Saskatchewan *Hubbards, Nova Scotia Canada/United States * Mount Hubbard, a mountain on the Alaska/Yukon border *Hubbard Glacier, a large freshwater glacier in Alaska and Yukon Greenland *Hubbard Gla ...

, Hustisford,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, LeRoy, Lomira,

Shields A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

Theresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

, and Williamston; the

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

of Horicon, and the Fifth and Sixth

Wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of the City of

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, and the city of Mayville, having been nominated by the Gold Democrats and endorsed by the Republicans. He won with 2,946 votes, to 2,414 for the incumbent, regular Democrat Herman Rosenkranz. He was assigned to the standing committee on

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

(of which he became chairman); and that on bills on their

third reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

. On January 26, 1897, "to express the contempt of his constituents for the damnable Chicago platform" (as he declared in an impassioned speech from the floor) he voted for the Republican candidate for

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 ...

, John C. Spooner, over the "Silver Democrat" candidate

Willis C. Silverthorn Willis Chisholm Silverthorn (August 30, 1838October 7, 1916) was a Canadian American immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He was a Wisconsin circuit court judge for 11 years and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1896. Earlie ...

. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1898, and was succeeded by Democrat John Kessler. (The Gold Democrats as a movement had dissipated in the wake of Bryan's loss in 1896.)

After the Assembly

From 1903 to 1906, he was the editor of the short-lived

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

'' The Neosho Standard''. In 1905 he sold his property in Neosho and moved to Pierce County, where he continued to practice medicine. By March 1913 Clason had moved to Fond du Lac. He died of heart failure in his home there on April 7, 1918. His death was reported in the ''

Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of bio ...

''. Described as a "prominent

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the Sco ...

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

,""State News" ''

Oshkosh Daily Northwestern The ''Oshkosh Northwestern'' is a daily newspaper based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The ''Northwestern'' was owned by the Schwalm and Heaney families until 1998, when it was sold to Ogden Newspapers; Ogden traded the paper to Thomson Newspapers two mo ...

'' April 8, 1918; p. 7, col. 2 he was buried with Masonic rites in Milwaukee's

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clason, Jesse 1860 births 1918 deaths 20th-century American newspaper editors American Freemasons Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly National Democratic Party (United States) politicians People from Tecumseh, Nebraska People from Neosho, Wisconsin Physicians from Wisconsin Washington University School of Medicine alumni 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin