Joseph Peter Deuster (October 14, 1833 - June 5, 1914) was an American

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

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), ...

and

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 ...

politician, who served a single two-term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was the brother of

Peter V. Deuster Peter Victor Deuster (February 13, 1831December 31, 1904) was a German American immigrant, newspaperman, diplomat, and Democratic politician. He represented Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States House of Representatives for three terms (18 ...

Background

Deuster was born October 14, 1833 in Berg vor Nideggen, in

Düren Düren (; ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the territory of the Eburones, a people ...

''kreis'' of the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

of the Kingdom of Prussia, son of John Hubert and Anna Barbara (Eppnech) Deuster. In 1844 he came with his family to Wisconsin, and they settled in Milwaukee. He attended the

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, and became a dealer in wines and

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

Public service

During the American Civil War, he was commissioned an enrolling and recruiting officer by Governor Edward Salomon on August 28, 1862. Deuster was a member of the Milwaukee Common Council for the 1862–66, 1871 and 1873 terms. He was

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

in 1867 and 1868, and was

Sergeant-at-Arms A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...

of the state assembly for the 1874 term (at which time he listed his profession as "Lumberman"). He was elected for the Assembly's new 8th Milwaukee County district (the 5th and 12th

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 the City of Milwaukee) in 1892, receiving 2,488 votes to 2,103 for Republican William A. Bahr, 83 for Populist Fred Ball, and 6 for Prohibitionist W. H. Edwards, Jr. ( Michael Krusczka, Democratic incumbent of one of the two old districts from which the new 8th district was assembled, ran for the Wisconsin Senate; and Conrad Krez did not seek re-election.) He was assigned to the standing committees on state

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, and on enrolled bills; he was

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of the latter. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1894, and was succeeded by Republican

Ellicott R. Stillman Ellicott R. Stillman (March 6, 1844 – February 13, 1911) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Rochester, New York, Stillman served in the 85th New York Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. In 1886, Stillman moved ...

. In 1894, he became superintendent of the United States Post Office substation on the South Side of Milwaukee, a

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position from which he was asked to step down in 1898 in favor of the prior incumbent, a Civil War veteran.

Later life and death

The Deusters had a farm in New Coeln, where his parents had settled, and Joseph managed a tavern there known as Deuster's Saloon or the New Coeln House (still operating in 2021). On June 9, 1897, his wife, Appolonia Romeo Deuster, died after a botched attempt at suicide. Contemporary accounts state that she suffered from

nervous prostration A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

, and had previously threatened suicide. Deuster awoke on June 7 to see his wife "standing at his beside enveloped in flames", having set her clothes on fire. In the 1900 Federal census, he was listed as a widower, still managing the New Coeln House, with several of his grown children at home.Lackey, Jill Florence & Rick Petrie. ''Germans in Milwaukee: A Neighborhood History'' Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2021; pp. 23-24 Deuster died June 5, 1914, in Evansville, Indiana and is buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Milwaukee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deuster, Joseph 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Prussian emigrants to the United States Wisconsin sheriffs Wisconsin city council members Businesspeople in wood products Wine merchants