John Alonzo Barney (June 14, 1840May 19, 1911) 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 ...

educator, politician, and judge. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and

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 Dodge County, and was county judge for twelve years. He also served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life

John A. Barney was born in Lenox, New York, in June 1840. He moved west with his parents in 1847, settling at Mayville, Wisconsin, and was educated there. After completing his primary school education, he studied law for two years, but interrupted his studies to volunteer for service in the American Civil War.

Civil War service

Barney enlisted at the call for three-year volunteers near the start of the Civil War and was enrolled in Company B of the

10th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 10th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army in the western theater of the American Civil War. Service The 10th Wisconsin was raised at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service Octobe ...

. The regiment mustered into federal service in October 1861 and served in the western theater of the war. Barney was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and ultimately first sergeant. He was badly wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga, he was taken prisoner and his arm was amputated. He was quickly paroled and was discharged due to disability in November 1863. After the war, he received an honorary

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

from Governor

Lucius Fairchild Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an Americans, American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the List of Governors of Wisconsin, tenth Governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as List of ambassadors o ...

to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in recognition for his performance at the battles of Perryville and Chickamauga.

Political and judicial career

Back in Mayville, he was appointed postmaster by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

, but resigned after Grant's election. He went on to work as school superintendent for the eastern district of Dodge County from 1870 through 1874. In the Fall of 1874, he was elected on the Democratic Party ticket to the Wisconsin State Senate for Wisconsin's 13th State Senate district—then-comprising all of Dodge County. He served in the 1875 and 1876 legislative sessions and was not a candidate for re-election in 1876. During the

46th United States Congress The 46th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 ...

, Barney was hired as clerk of the U.S. House Committee on War Claims. The chairman of the committee was Wisconsin's

Edward S. Bragg Edward Stuyvesant Bragg (February 20, 1827June 20, 1912) was an American politician, lawyer, soldier, and diplomat. He was an accomplished Union Army officer in the American Civil War and served four terms in the United States House of Represent ...

. Back in Wisconsin, he worked as principal of the Mayville schools for 15 years and served in several local offices. He served as a justice of the peace and was a member and president of the Mayville village board. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1888, representing eastern Dodge County. He was elected county judge of Dodge County in the 1897 spring election, defeating incumbent judge C. A. Christiansen. He was re-elected in 1901 and 1905 but did not run for a fourth term in 1909. He died at his home in Mayville a year after leaving office, on May 19, 1911.

Personal life

Barney was active in the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows 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 ...

and the Soldiers' Relief Association. John Barney married Henrietta Beeson in 1866. They had at least five children, but two died in infancy. Barney was survived by his wife and three daughters.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1874)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1874

Wisconsin Assembly (1888)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1888

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barney, John 1840 births 1911 deaths People from Mayville, Wisconsin People from Lenox, New York People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army officers Union Army soldiers American amputees Mayors of places in Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin postmasters Wisconsin state court judges