John Williams Tobey (August 3, 1827 – February 4, 1909) was an

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and builder from

Neenah Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the East North Central States, north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River (Wiscon ...

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. He served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Neenah, and served one term as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

member of the

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from Winnebago County.

Background

Tobey was born in Hawley,

Franklin County, Massachusetts Franklin County is a nongovernmental county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,029, which makes it the least-populous county on the Massachusetts mainland, and the ...

, on August 3, 1827, son of John and Sybil (Lathrop) Tobey. He received a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

education and went into the trades of architect, carpenter and builder. He moved to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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, in 1846, and lived in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties in that state. During the

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he tried to enlist in the Ohio

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, but was rejected by the examining surgeon. He moved to Wisconsin in 1864, settling in Neenah. He designed the plans for the Russell House in Neenah, and superintended the erection of it, as well as the

Neenah High School Neenah High School is a public high school located in Neenah, Wisconsin. It is the only traditional high school of the Neenah Joint School District. As of fall 2008, approximately 2250 students were enrolled in grades 9 through 12, making it one ...

and the Patten Mill at Appleton.

Public office

Tobey held various local offices such as

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and

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, and was elected mayor of the City of Neenah in April, 1886. He described his political position as having been brought up in the " Jeffersonian and Jacksonian school of politics, and believes in law being founded on equal rights in the strictest sense, and fearlessly executed." Tobey was elected as an Independent to the second Winnebago County Assembly district (the

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, Menasha, Clayton,

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Winneconne, and

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; and the Cities of Neenah and Menasha) in 1886, with 1,408 votes to 1,185 for former State Representative and

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

William P. Rounds, (a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

), and 157 votes for

Prohibitionist Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...

E. W. Clark. Incumbent

Charles B. Clark Charles Benjamin Clark (August 24, 1844 – September 10, 1891) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin and one of the founders of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Neenah, Wisconsin, Neenah with John A. K ...

(also a former mayor of Neenah) was not a candidate, as he was (successfully) pursuing a campaign for

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. Tobey was appointed to the

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on medical societies. Tobey was reported in some press accounts to be a Democrat. He did not run for re-election in 1887, and was succeeded by Republican Walter L. Miller. Tobey ran for his old Assembly seat in 1890 as 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 ...

, but lost to Neenah mayor Samuel A. Cook, who received 1326 votes to 1042 for Tobey and 63 for Prohibitionist Lucius Webster.

Personal life

Tobey married Lucey D. Smith, also from Massachusetts, in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, in 1853. Lucey Tobey died suddenly on May 31, 1890, at the age of 57, leaving John with two children, Isora and Mary. Isora died April 13, 1893, of "consumption". Tobey was a member of the

Royal Arcanum The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...

. He died February 4, 1909, while in Cuyahoga County, Ohio; and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Neenah."John Williams Tobey" ''findagrave.com''
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobey, John Williams 1827 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American architects American carpenters American construction businesspeople Architects from Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Architects from Cleveland People from Hawley, Massachusetts Politicians from Neenah, Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin Independents 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople