Joseph Vilas (March 31, 1832 – January 7, 1905) was an American businessman and politician. He was the 10th Mayor of

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

Biography

Born in

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg ( moh, Kaniatarahòn:tsi) is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,436 at the 2019 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and de ...

, Vilas went to

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. In 1852, he moved to

. He was involved with the mercantile, railroad, and paper manufacturing businesses. During 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 ...

, Vilas served as a draft commissioner. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate in 1863 and 1864 and was 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 ...

. He also served as president of the village of Manitowoc. In 1893, he was elected mayor of Manitowoc. Vilas was president of the Board of Harbor Commissioners. In 1868, he ran for election to 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and lost the election to

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 ...

. Vilas died by suicide with a firearm in his home in Manitowoc. He had been in ill health for several years. He was a cousin of

William Freeman Vilas William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897. As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he wa ...

.'Vilas Is Suicide-The Ex-Mayor of the City of Manitowoc Tires of Fight With Disease-The Story,' Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, January 7, 1905, pg. 1

Notes

External links

* 1832 births 1905 suicides 1905 deaths People from Ogdensburg, New York People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union College (New York) alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Suicides by firearm in Wisconsin American politicians who committed suicide 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub