John Fetzer (July 8, 1840May 2, 1900) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

immigrant, merchant, and Democratic politician. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing

Door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

, Marinette, and Oconto counties during the

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...

and

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

sessions. He also represented Door County in the State Assembly in

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 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 ...

during 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 ...

Early life

Fetzer was born on July 8, 1840, in the

Grand Duchy of Hessen The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...

, in present day

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. As a child, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with his parents aboard the ship ''Edwina'', arriving at the harbor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. They immediately went west to

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, then to Buffalo, where they took a boat through the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

to Wisconsin. They arrived at the port of

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

, in June 1850, a month after landing at New York City. At Manitowoc, they purchased a farm. Fetzer's father, Peter Fetzer, had significant wealth and brought five employees from Germany to build and maintain the homestead. Their home was described as the first frame house and first barn to be constructed in

Manitowoc County 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 ...

. They made several trips down to Milwaukee to bring cattle to the settlement in Manitowoc, where they then sold the cattle in exchange for farm labor from the other settlers. John Fetzer attended the high school in Manitowoc for one year, then went to work on his father's farm until the outbreak of the

Civil War service

In June 1861, Fetzer responded to the call for 300,000 volunteers for the

and was enrolled as a private in Company B of the 9th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. The 9th Wisconsin Infantry was composed mainly of German-speaking immigrants. The regiment left the state in January 1862 and went on to serve in the trans-Mississippi theater of the war. They engaged in operations in Kansas, Arkansas, and

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

. Fetzer served three years and was promoted to corporal. In the Red River campaign, at the

Battle of Mansfield A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, he was given an informal battlefield commission as captain, but was wounded a few weeks later at the

Battle of Jenkins' Ferry The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, also known as the Engagement at Jenkins' Ferry, was fought on April 30, 1864, at Jenkins' Ferry, southwest of Little Rock (present-day Grant County, Arkansas), during the American Civil War. Although the battle en ...

. He received a gunshot wound to the right breast and arm, and, after some time in the hospital, he was sent back to Manitowoc until the end of his three-year term. In April 1866, his informal battlefield commission as captain was made an official

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 ...

commission by Governor

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Postbellum years

In April 1867, Fetzer moved further north to

Ahnapee, Wisconsin Ahnapee is a town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States, on the Ahnapee River. The population was 940 as of the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Bruemmerville, Kodan, and Rankin are located in the town. The Ahnapee State T ...

, in

Kewaunee County Kewaunee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,563. Its county seat is Kewaunee. The county was created in 1852 and organized in 1859. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', an arch ...

, where he established a foundry and machine shop. He operated it for only one season, however, and then sold and moved to the town of Forestville, in Door County. In Door County, he purchased a farm, which remained his primary residence for the rest of his life. He also set up a general merchandise store and, in 1872, he also established a sawmill, soon growing to employ fifty laborers. He operated the sawmill until 1878, and then became a larger investor in the lumber business. Through his firm Young & Fetzer, he profited from lumber manufacturing at sites around Door County. He also established an extensive flour mill on the Ahnapee River in 1877, and expanded and modernized the facility over the next decade.

Political career

He was a prominent member of the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

in northeast Wisconsin, and was elected chairman of the town board of Forestville in 1868, the year after he arrived there. He held that office for 27 of the next 28 years. He was also elected to at least 20 terms on the county board of supervisors and was chairman of the county board for three years. He was appointed postmaster at Forestville in 1880 and served in that role through 1889, but was subsequently re-appointed in 1894. He was elected to 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, ...

in 1884, to represent the Door County district. He narrowly defeated his Republican opponent in the swing district, which frequently swung between Republican and Democratic representatives. He did not run for re-election in 1886, but ran for

in 1890. The 1890 election was a Democratic wave year, assisted by the backlash against the anti-immigrant

Bennett Law The Bennett Law, officially chapter 519 of the 1889 acts of the Wisconsin Legislature, was a controversial state law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1889 dealing with compulsory education. The controversial section of the law was a requi ...

, which had been passed in 1889. Fetzer however, initially appeared to have been narrowly defeated by Republican incumbent

Edward Scofield Edward Scofield (March 28, 1842February 3, 1925) was an American lumberman and Republican politician. He was the 19th governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) and served in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Door, Marinette, and Oconto ...

. Fetzer challenged the results through the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. After a few weeks of testimony, the Democratic majority ruled in his favor and awarded him the seat in early February 1891. Fetzer did not run for re-election in 1894, and continue his business interests. He died in 1900 at

Iron River, Michigan Iron River is a city in Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,029. The city is situated at the southeast corner of Iron River Township, but is administratively autonomous. Iron River is the ...

Personal life and family

John Fetzer was the eldest of five children born to Peter Fetzer and his wife Margaret (' Pitz). Peter Fetzer had been a successful merchant in Hesse before emigrating to the United States. He formally became an American citizen on September 22, 1856, about six years after his arrival in the country. John's younger brother, Jacob, also enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War and acted as a scout for the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery Regiment. He died in Louisiana after the war. John Fetzer married Anna Fetzer in 1866. Anna was also a native of Hesse, and was possibly a cousin. They had no known children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1884)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1884

Wisconsin Senate (1890)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1890 (after challenges)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fetzer, John 1840 births 1900 deaths Hessian emigrants to the United States People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin People from Door County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly