John Winans (September 27, 1831January 17, 1907) was an American lawyer and politician in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...

. He served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Wisconsin's 1st congressional district Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County, and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock Count ...

, and served six years in 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, ...

representing Janesville and central Rock County. He also held several local offices, including two terms as Mayor of Janesville.

Background

Winans was born in

Vernon, New Jersey Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located about one hour's drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population wa ...

, and was educated in public and private schools. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1855. He came to Wisconsin in 1857 and settled in Janesville, where he practiced his profession. He served as member of the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of Janesville in 1861, and as

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

several times. He served as delegate to the

1864 Democratic National Convention The 1864 Democratic National Convention was held at The Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. The Convention nominated Major General George B. McClellan from New Jersey for president, and Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio for vice president ...

, and in 1868 was the Democratic nominee for Congress from

Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southern Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Iowa County, Lafayette County, Sauk County and Green County, as well as portions of ...

, against incumbent Republican Benjamin F. Hopkins.

Legislature

Winans was first elected to the State Assembly from Rock County's 5th Assembly district (the City of Janesville) in 1873 as a member of the short-lived Reform Party, a coalition of Democrats, reform and Liberal Republicans, and Grangers formed in 1873, which secured the election for two years of

William Robert Taylor William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876. Early life Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost ...

as Governor of Wisconsin. He received 741 votes to 633 for Republican incumbent Henry A. Patterson, and was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

on the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

, of which he was elected chairman. He ran for re-election in 1874 under the "Democratic Reform" label (the Reform coalition had begun to dissolve, and Taylor would lose his 1875 bid for re-election), but was unseated by Republican Hiram Merrill, who drew 799 votes to 694 for Winans. Winans served as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on the staff of Governor Taylor in 1874 and 1875. He returned to the practice of law, and was elected to the Assembly again as a Democrat in 1881 from the new 2nd Rock County district (the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Janesville, plus the

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Janesville and

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

) with 806 votes to 618 for Republican Oscar F. Nowlan and 109 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 ...

G. W. Lawrence (Republican incumbent Franklin Lawrence was not a candidate for re-election; it is unknown whether the two Lawrences were related). He returned to the judiciary committee, and was also assigned to the committee on bills on the

third reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

. Winans was also selected by the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

in 1882 as one of the Commissioners to represent them in planning the expansion of the

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wi ...

Building.

Congress

Winans was elected 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 ...

Democrat to the Forty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885) representing

, unseating five-term Republican incumbent Charles G. Williams, with 12,307 votes to 11,853 for Williams, 2207 for Prohibitionist C. M. Blackman, and 10 for former State Senator William L. Utley, who had served in the legislature as a Free Soiler and a Republican, but was now a Greenback. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884, since he was running for mayor of Janesville. He was succeeded in Congress by Republican Lucien Caswell.

After Congress

He was elected mayor of Janesville in April 1885 for a two-year term, over Republican Charles Valentine. He was elected to the Assembly as a Democrat again in 1886, after being defeated in a run for the United States Senate by incumbent Republican

Philetus Sawyer Philetus Sawyer (September 22, 1816March 29, 1900) was a United States senator from Wisconsin for twelve years (1881–1893). He also represented Wisconsin for ten years in the United States House of Representatives (1865–1875), and he ...

, who won the votes of 82 legislators, to 37 for Winans and six for

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

John Cochrane. For the Assembly, he received 1,132 votes to 1,047 for Republican Oscar Nowland (Republican incumbent

Pliny Norcross Pliny Norcross (November 16, 1838 – June 11, 1915) was an American politician and lawyer. Born in Templeton, Massachusetts, Norcross and his family settled in the Town of La Grange, Walworth County, Wisconsin. Norcross attended Milton Academy ...

was not a candidate) and 91 for Prohibitionist James Harris. When the Assembly session opened, he was the Democratic candidate for Speaker, losing to Republican Thomas B. Mills in what turned out to be a six-man race. He once more returned to the judiciary committee, and to the committee on bills on the third reading. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1888, and was succeeded by Republican Cyrus Miner. He was elected to the Assembly (as a Democrat) for the final time in 1890; the 2nd district no longer included the Town of Rock, but did include those of

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and Harmony. He received 1487 votes to 1308 for Nowland and 67 for Prohibitionist C. W. Cook. He again became chair of the judiciary committee; and was also on the joint committees on

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' or ...

and penal institutions, and on apportionment (serving as Assembly co-chair of the latter committee). After the redistricting of 1891, most of his district was put in the new 3rd Rock County Assembly district; Winans did not run for re-election, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat

Agesilaus Wilson Agesilaus O. Wilson was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was elected to the Assembly in 1892, succeeding John Winans. Other positions he held include Clerk of the Board of Education of Janesville, Wisconsin. Wilson was a Democrat De ...

.Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. ''The blue book of the state of Wisconsin 1893'' Madison, 1893; p. 651
/ref>

Out of office again

He ran for Assembly again in 1896, but was defeated by William G. Wheeler, who had apprenticed in his law offices as a young man. He continue to engage in the practice of law in Janesville, until his death on January 17, 1907. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1873, 1881)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1881

U.S. House (1882)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1882

Wisconsin Assembly (1886, 1890, 1896)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1886 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1890 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1896

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winans, John 1831 births 1907 deaths Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Vernon Township, New Jersey Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members New Jersey lawyers Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians