Joshua Hernandez Berkey (March 11, 1852 – June 16, 1911) was an American newspaper publisher,

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

minister, and anti-alcohol political activist in the states of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. A touring orator who delivered as many as 200 lectures per year, Berkey is best remembered for his 1896 campaign for Governor of Wisconsin heading the ticket of that state's

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...

, in which he finished third to the candidates of the

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 Democratic parties.

Biography

Early years

Joshua Hernandez Berkey was born March 11, 1852, in the rural hamlet of Post Oak Springs, Roane County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

.''Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette, Wisconsin, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families.''
Chicago: J.H. Beers and Co., 1901; pp. 694-695. His father, Jacob W. Berkey, hailed from the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, while his mother, the former Mary R. Moore, was a Tennessee native. Together, his parents raised three sons, moving to

in 1860. His father, of ethnic

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent, was a showman toured extensively throughout the United States during his life, frequently taking Joshua on the road with him until his death in 1871 at the age of 47. Berkey settled in

Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the T ...

, the county seat of Green County, located near the state's southern border. There he married Sarah M. Sears in the fall of 1875. Together the couple raised six children. Berkey initially studied to become a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

, opening a

drug store A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...

in the neighboring town of

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

shortly after his marriage. During the several years in which he was in business, Berkey became interested in the growing political movement calling for the restriction or prohibition of

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

. He was consumed by this issue for the rest of his life. In 1880, Berkey sold his drug store and moved west with his family to the booming city of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he took a position as a secretary for a mining company. He soon turned his attention to journalism, however, taking a position as business manager of a weekly Denver newspaper called ''The Great West'' before leaving to launch his own publication, a humorous literary weekly newspaper called ''Hello.'' Berkey liquidated his assets in Denver in 1883 and moved to the midwestern state of

, where he purchased a farm in Sumner County. He remained there until 1891, starting a temperance newspaper called "The Crank" in

Geuda Springs, Kansas Geuda Springs is a city in Cowley and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 158. History On the line between Cowley and Sumner counties is a remarkable group of salt springs that ...

, which was a widely circulated paper. It was as publisher of this newspaper that Berkey became a figure of national standing in the American prohibition movement.

Political career

Berkey's anti-alcohol newspaper drew attention across the state of Kansas and he began traveling the region as a lecturer on temperance and other related political themes. He became a member of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

during the early 1890s. In 1896, Berkey was the candidate of the

for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

."Joshua H. Berkey,"
Our Campaigns.com, www.ourcampaigns.com/ He finished third, behind

Edward Scofield Edward Scofield (March 28, 1842February 3, 1925) was an American lumberman and Republican politician. He was the 19th governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) and served in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Door, Marinette, and Oconto c ...

and

Willis C. Silverthorn Willis Chisholm Silverthorn (August 30, 1838October 7, 1916) was a Canadian American immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He was a Wisconsin circuit court judge for 11 years and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1896. Earlie ...

. Berkey entered the ministry in 1898, returning to Monroe, Wisconsin, to take to the pulpit of the Congregationalist Christian Church there. In 1902, Berkey was an unsuccessful candidate for 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, ...

. Berkey also stood for election as the Prohibition Party's nominee for

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 ...

in Wisconsin First District in the election of 1908."Papers Filed by Candidates: Secretary of State's Office Receives Signed Calls of the Politicians," ''Green Bay Gazette,'' vol. 35 (Aug. 3, 1908), pg. 1. Berkey remained an active and popular touring lecturer on behalf of the prohibitionist cause until the time of his death, delivering more than 200 lectures under the auspices of the Lincoln Chautauqua during the 1910 lecture season."Body Found Near Ice House,"
''Crystal Lake LHerald,'' June 20, 1911, pg. 1.

Death and legacy

June 1911 found Berkey in

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

, a small town in McHenry County where he owned several acres of farmland. He spent Thursday, June 15 and the morning of Friday, June 16 visiting Rev. I.N. Adrian, an old school classmate,"Minister Drowns in Crystal Lake,"
''Woodstock LSentinel,'' vol. 55, no. 51, whole no. 2897 (June 22, 1911), pg. 1. with a view to visiting scenes from his boyhood days. He was last seen alive about noon of June 16. When he did not return that evening, Berkey's friend alerted the authorities and a search was begun. Berkey's body was discovered at 4 pm on June 17 near an old picnic grounds at Crystal Lake, submerged beneath six feet of water a short distance from shore. A watch in his clothing was stopped at 1:30; the body was deemed by authorities to have been in the water for "many hours." Circumstances leading to his death by drowning at the age of 59 were unknown. Berkey's death coincidentally came about one week after that of famed temperance activist

Carrie Nation Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846June 9, 1911), often referred to by Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition. Nat ...

in a Kansas sanitarium.

Footnotes

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