John W. Thomas (March 31, 1846March 8, 1925) was a

Welsh American Welsh Americans ( cy, Americanwyr Cymreig) are an American ethnic group whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S ...

immigrant,

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

farmer, and progressive Republican politician. He was the 8th

Wisconsin railroad commissioner The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is the independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating railroads located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.

—at the time a statewide elected office. He also served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1909–1912) and eight years in the

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

(1895–1902), representing Chippewa County.

Early life and war service

Thomas was born on March 31, 1846, in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. At age 3, he emigrated to the United States with his parents. They settled in

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

, but he was orphaned at age 7. From then, he lived with a family of neighbors, and, at age 11, he accompanied that family west to Chippewa County, Wisconsin. They settled in the town of

Anson, Wisconsin Anson is a town in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,076 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Anson and Jim Falls are located in the town. The town was named after Anson Burlingame, a Massachus ...

, where he was educated in the common schools. Just before his 18th birthday, he volunteered for service 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 ...

, in the 4th year of 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 ...

. He was enrolled as a private in Company K in the newly-organized 36th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, and served with that regiment through the end of the war. The 36th Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service in March 1864 and went immediately to the eastern theater of the war. They arrived in time to join Grant's Overland Campaign, which would grind through Virginia over the Spring of 1864, and would spend the next year in the trenches in the Siege of Petersburg. They then participated in the Appomattox campaign which culminated in Lee's surrender. Thomas returned to Anson after the war and settled a farm, where he maintained a herd of

cows, producing award-winning butter products.

Political career

Thomas became deeply involved in local politics in Anson; he was elected town clerk for seven years, was secretary of the school board for three years, was town treasurer for four years, and was a member of the town board for nine years, serving seven years as chairman. He was also elected to the Chippewa County board of supervisors, was chairman for two years, and was elected to one term as county treasurer in 1884. He was also active in the Chippewa County Agricultural Society, was secretary for eight years, and was president in 1883. He was also a director of the Eagle Point Insurance Company for more than 20 years, and was treasurer of the company for two years. He was appointed to the State Board of Agriculture in 1897, and reappointed in 1899. He was elected to his first state office in 1894, when he ran for

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 Chippewa County's 2nd Assembly district. The 2nd district comprised almost all of the county, except for the more densely-populated southwest corner. He was re-elected in 1896, 1898, and 1900. During his years in the Assembly, he was always a member of the committee on railroads and was chairman during the 1899 and 1901 sessions. In 1902, rather than running for another term in the Assembly, he was the Republican nominee for state railroad commissioner. He won the 1902 election with 53% of the vote in a five-way race. He went on to win re-election in 1904. During the 1905 Wisconsin legislative session, the Legislature decided to abolish the position of railroad commissioner and replace it with a board of commissioners appointed by the governor. In the 1906 election, Thomas sought the Republican nomination for

State Treasurer of Wisconsin The State Treasurer of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Thirty-six individuals have held the office of State Treasurer since statehood. The incumbent is Sarah Godlewski ...

, but he lost the Republican

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

Andrew H. Dahl Andrew H. Dahl (April 13, 1859 – January 23, 1928) was a politician in Wisconsin. Dahl was born in Lewiston, Wisconsin. He attended high school in Viroqua, Wisconsin.''Wisconsin Blue Book'', 1911, Biographical Sketch of Andrew Dahl, p. 732. Ca ...

. In 1908, Thomas returned to elected office when he was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in the 24th State Senate district—then-comprising all of Chippewa, Eau Claire, and

Gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadde ...

counties. He did not run for another term in 1912 and never held another elected office, but remained active for much of the rest of his life supporting Republican candidates and attending Republican conventions.

Personal life and family

John W. Thomas married Marcella Fuller in 1868. They had five children together, though three died in infancy and a fourth child died young. John Thomas died in Chippewa Falls on March 8, 1925. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner (1902, 1904)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1902 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1904

Wisconsin Treasurer (1906)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, September 4, 1906

Wisconsin Senate (1908)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1908

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John W. 1846 births 1925 deaths Welsh emigrants to the United States Politicians from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers County supervisors in Wisconsin County treasurers in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly State cabinet secretaries of Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators