John Scanlon (September 10, 1841 – December 6, 1895) was an American farmer from Symco, Wisconsin who spent one term as a Greenback Party member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Waupaca County, Wisconsin.

Background

Scanlon was born in

Bunninadden Bunnanadden, Bunnanaddan or Bunninadden ( ga, Bun an Fheadáin) is a small village in south County Sligo, Ireland. It is on the R296 road, 9 km from Tubbercurry and 8 km from Ballymote. The village contains the parish church (The Sa ...

, County Sligo, Ireland on September 10, 1841, the son of John Scanlon Sr. and Anna May. He received a common school education, and became a farmer. He came to Wisconsin in 1855, settled in Burnett, but moved to Waupaca County in 1856. He enlisted in the

7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a component of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac throughout the war. Service The 7th Wisconsin was ...

on December 31, 1864, and participated in the Battle of White Oak Road and the Battle of Five Forks in 1865. He and his unit (part of the famed Iron Brigade) were involved in the pursuit and capture of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

's army, and took part in the Grand Review of the Armies at Washington on May 3, 1865. He was mustered out July 3, 1865, when the regiment returned to Madison from Kentucky and was discharged.

Public office

He had held various local offices, including town treasurer and chairman of the town board of supervisors; and was a delegate to the Greenback state convention in 1877. He was elected to the assembly for 1879 from the 2nd Waupaca County district (the towns of Bear Creek,

Dupont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

, Helvetia, Iola, Larrabee, Lebanon,

Little Wolf Little Wolf (''Cheyenne'': ''Ó'kôhómôxháahketa'', sometimes transcribed ''Ohcumgache'' or ''Ohkomhakit'', more correctly translated Little Coyote, 18201904) was a Northern Só'taeo'o Chief and Sweet Medicine Chief of the Northern Cheyenne. ...

, Matteson, Mukwa, Scandinavia,

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

and Union, and the first and second

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 New London), receiving 943 votes against 783 for Republican L. D. Moses (Republican incumbent

Francis Guernsey Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural M ...

was not a candidate). Scanlon was assigned to the standing committee on town and county organization. He ran for re-election for 1880, and was defeated by Republican Nels Anderson, who drew 962 votes to 419 for

Democratic 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 ...

former State Representative Michael Gorman and 345 for Scanlon.

After the Assembly

He returned to farming in Symco, but spent some time as a messenger for the

Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

office in Madison. He died in

Manawa, Wisconsin Manawa is a city in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2020 census. Geography Manawa is located at (44.460563, -88.919253). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ...

in 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, John 1841 births 1895 deaths Farmers from Wisconsin Irish emigrants to the United States Irish soldiers in the United States Army Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Waupaca County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Politicians from County Sligo Wisconsin city council members Wisconsin Greenbacks 19th-century American legislators People from Burnett, Wisconsin Military personnel from County Sligo 19th-century Wisconsin politicians