John Barnes (July 26, 1859January 1, 1919) was an American attorney and judge from

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 ...

. He was a justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

from 1908 until 1916, and was one of the first Wisconsin Railroad Commissioners. He worked as

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investme ...

from 1916 until his death.

Early life and education

Born in 1859, on a farm in

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 ...

, Barnes was the son of

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

immigrants who had arrived in the Wisconsin from Canada in 1858. Barnes graduated from Manitowoc High School in 1876 and attended the

Oshkosh Normal School Oshkosh may refer to: Places in the United States * Oshkosh, Wisconsin, city and the largest place with the name * Oshkosh (town), Wisconsin * Oshkosh Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota * Oshkosh, Nebraska * Oshkosh Township, Wells County, ...

, after which he taught school for six years. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

in 1885 and began practicing law in Oshkosh.

Career

In 1887, Barnes relocated to Rhinelander, and became the first municipal judge of Oneida County, served as president of the local school board, and prospered in business. Barnes was 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 ...

. In 1905, he was appointed to the newly created Wisconsin Railroad Commission by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...

. In 1908, he was elected to the

in a special election after the death of Chief Justice John B. Cassoday. He defeated appointed justice

Robert McKee Bashford Robert McKee Bashford (December 31, 1845January 29, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1893 to 1897. He also served briefl ...

, and went on to re-election to a full term in 1909. In 1916, however, Barnes resigned to become general counsel of the

.John Barnes, Wisconsin Historical Society
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Personal life

Judge Barnes married Julia Koelzer, a childhood friend, in 1887. They had four children together. He was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a member of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

. Barnes suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at his office in

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 ...

on December 28, 1918, and died four days later, after developing

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 1908

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, John People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin People from Rhinelander, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin lawyers Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1859 births 1919 deaths People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers