John E. Stillman (May 7, 1833 – August 23, 1883) was an American lawyer, businessman and teacher. Stillman was the first public school teacher in
Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare".
Place names (Canada)
Communities
*Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...
, and served as the third
Eau Claire County judge. Later in his life, Stillman was one of the founders of
Orange City, Florida, and served as its first
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
.
Biography
Born in
New Brunswick, Canada in 1833, Stillman came to the United States in 1854, and traveled to
Madison, Wisconsin to study law. He settled in
Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare".
Place names (Canada)
Communities
*Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...
in 1856. He was the first teacher in the first public school, beginning in the winter of 1856-57. He was admitted to
State Bar of Wisconsin
The State Bar of Wisconsin (SBW) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for all attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license, the State Bar of Wisconsin aids the courts i ...
in September 1859, and practiced law under the firm name of Stillman and Edwards. Stillman was an investor and proprietor in the Metropolitan Hotel in Eau Claire until selling his share. In 1861, Stillman enlisted in a military company called the "Eau Claire Badgers" to fight in the
United States Civil War. The company was never recognized by the Sixth Regiment. Stillman served as county judge from 1863 to 1865 and was a life member of the
American Bible Society. In 1867, Stillman got into the lumber business with A. W. and L. P. Gorton, constructing and operating several
log booms on the
Chippewa River. In 1875, Seth French, John E. Stillman, and a group of others from Eau Claire decided to move south. They purchased about 5,000 acres of internal improvement land and started the town that became
Orange City, Florida. They are credited as the founders of the city. The streets in the oldest section of the city are named after the founders.
[ ] In 1882, he moved to
Washington, D. C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, where he resided for one year, then returning to Orange City.
Family
In 1860, he married Mary Lashier. They raised three sons and two daughters.
Death and burial
Stillman died in 1883 at the age of 50. He was buried at Hollywood Cemetery in
Orange City, Florida.
Notes
Further reading
*Barland, Lois. ''The Rivers Flow On''. Stevens Point: Warzalla Publishing, 1965.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stillman, John E.
1833 births
1883 deaths
Emigrants from pre-Confederation New Brunswick to the United States
Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
People from Orange City, Florida
Wisconsin state court judges
Educators from Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawyers
American city founders
Florida postmasters
County officials in Wisconsin
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American educators