Samuel Ryan, Jr., (March 13, 1824March 26, 1907) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

newspaper publisher, Democratic politician, 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 ...

pioneer. He was the founder of the ''Appleton Crescent'' (now ''

The Post-Crescent ''The Post-Crescent'' is a daily newspaper based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, it is primarily distributed in numerous counties surrounding the Appleton/ Fox Cities area. History ''The Appleton Crescent'' was ...

''), served eight years as county judge of

Outagamie County, Wisconsin Outagamie County is a county in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is included in the Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

(1866–1874), and served one year 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, ...

(1865).

Biography

Ryan was born in

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who ...

, in 1824. As a child, he moved with his parents to Green Bay in 1826, when it was still part of the Michigan Territory. As a young man in Green Bay, he learned the printing trade, and worked as editor of several pre-statehood papers in Green Bay, including the ''Green Bay Spectator'' and the ''Green Bay Wisconsin Republican''. In 1853, he established the ''

Appleton Crescent ''The Post-Crescent'' is a daily newspaper based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, it is primarily distributed in numerous counties surrounding the Appleton/Fox Cities area. History ''The Appleton Crescent'' was f ...

'', which he edited and published until his death in 1907. 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 ...

, he volunteered for service in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment, under the command of former Wisconsin Governor, Colonel

William A. Barstow William Augustus Barstow (September 13, 1813December 13, 1865) was an American businessman, politician, and public administrator. He was the third governor and second Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and served as a Union Army officer during the ...

. Ryan was assigned to

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

and

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

detail at Leavenworth, Kansas, but was discharged due to illness in 1863. After his war service, Ryan returned to Appleton and, in 1864, was elected as a Democrat to the

, representing

Outagamie County Outagamie County is a county in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is included in the Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

in the 1865 session. During 1865, he was elected County Judge for Outagamie County, where he ultimately served eight years. Later in life, he was appointed U.S. consul at

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

, by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. Ryan died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

in 1907 at the home of his brother,

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, in

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

Personal life and family

Sam Ryan, Jr., had at least four brothers, including his younger brother James Ryan, who also served as an editor on the ''Crescent''. He was married three times: He first married Laura E. Knappen on June 1, 1847, then married Calista M. Crane in 1853, and subsequently married Martha S. Driggs. His third wife died just 8 days before him. He had no children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Samuel People from Sackets Harbor, New York Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Politicians from Appleton, Wisconsin Wisconsin state court judges Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly American consuls People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Editors of Wisconsin newspapers 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper editors 1824 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges