William Henry Devos (November 19, 1857 – August 28, 1936) was an American businessman who spent two terms as a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Senate's Sixth District (the 9th, 10th, 19th and 20th

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 Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

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 ...

.Members of Wisconsin Legislature 1848–1999
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Background

Devos was born November 19, 1857, in Milwaukee, of "Hollandish parentage"; he graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools and

Spencerian Business College Spencerian Business College is the name of various business schools established in the 19th century by Platt R. Spencer, his son Robert C. Spencer, or by Enos Spencer (whose relation to the other two Spencers is unclear), sometimes in association ...

. He worked in the

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using rota ...

and coal businesses, and represented the 9th Ward as

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

on the

Milwaukee Common Council The municipal government of the U.S. city of Milwaukee, located in the state of Wisconsin, consists of a mayor and common council. Traditionally supporting liberal politicians and movements, this community has consistently proved to be a strongho ...

from April 1894, to April 1896.

Legislative service

He was defeated for alderman in April 1896, but was elected to the State Senate in November 1896 to succeed

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 ...

Oscar Altpeter Oscar Altpeter (June 1, 1857 - November 23, 1935) was an American maltster who served as an alderman from Milwaukee, and for four years as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Senate's Sixth District (2nd, 4th, 6th & 9th Wards of the City ...

, receiving 6,821 votes to 4,966 for Democratic and Populist candidate Max Hottelett and 238 for Charles Pample of the

Socialist Labor Party The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924 ...

. He was re-elected in 1900, but resigned his office in 1902 to accept the post of "Collector" f import duties">import_duties.html" ;"title="f import duties">f import dutiesof the Port of Milwaukee".

References

1857 births 1936 deaths American people of Dutch descent Businesspeople from Milwaukee Milwaukee Common Council members Republican Party Wisconsin state senators {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub