Edwin Baruch Winans (May 16, 1826 – July 4, 1894) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from and the 22nd

governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

Early life in New York and Michigan

Winans was born in Avon, New York, and moved with his parents, John and Eliza (née Way), to Michigan in 1834. The family first moved to Scio Township in

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

and in spring 1836 moved to Unadilla Township in Livingston County. His father died in the fall of 1843, and Winans moved with his mother to Hamburg Township, also in Livingston County. His mother died in July, 1852 and Winans worked for four years in a wool carding mill. At the age of twenty, he attended Albion College, Albion, Michigan, for two and a half years in preparation for entering the Law School of the University of Michigan at

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

California Gold Rush

Before completing his studies, Winans was drawn by news of the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

, and in March 1850 left for California by an overland route to seek his fortune. Arriving July 20, he engaged in mining first on the north branch of the American River near Placerville. He continued the same work with some varied success in different parts of the state. In 1853, he was one of the members of the celebrated Randolph Hill Mining Company in the town of Rough and Ready (now a town west of

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

in Nevada County). In 1855, he returned to Michigan to marry Elizabeth Galloway and then returned to California, where he continued with the company until its dissolution in 1857. He was a principal stockholder in the Rough and Ready Ditch Company and also engaged in banking in Rough and Ready.

Politics in Michigan

He returned to Michigan in 1858 and purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km²) farm in

Hamburg Township, Michigan Hamburg Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 21,165. It is the most populated municipality in Livingston County. Communities A trio of unincorpora ...

, where he and his wife had two sons, Edwin, Jr. and George. He was twice elected a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives 1861–1865 and was a delegate to the state

constitutional convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

of May 15, 1867. He was a Hamburg Township supervisor, 1872–1873 and probate judge of Livingston County 1877–1881. Winans was elected as a Fusion candidate and seated with the Democrats in the United States House of Representatives for the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1887. He resumed agricultural pursuits in Livingston County and served as

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

1891–1893. He was the first Democrat elected governor after the American Civil War (

Josiah Begole Josiah Williams Begole (January 20, 1815June 5, 1896) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative from 1873 to 1875 and the 19th governor of Michigan from 1883 to 1885. Early life in New York Begole was born in Groveland, New ...

had been elected in 1882 on a Fusionist ticket combining the Greenback and Democratic Parties). During his tenure, several election reform bills were sanctioned, the most significant of which was the secret Australian ballot. His son, George, acted as his private secretary.

Death and legacy

Winans died in Hamburg, Michigan at age 68, and is interred in Hamburg Cemetery. Winans's son, also named Edwin Baruch Winans, was a major general in the United States Army and commanding general of the Third Army from September 15, 1932, to September 30, 1933. He also served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1927.

References

The Political Graveyard

Winans bio
from ''Cyclopedia of Michigan: historical and biographical, comprising a synopsis of general history of the state, and biographical sketches of men who have, in their various spheres, contributed toward its development'' Published New York: Western Publishing and Engraving, 1900
Winans bio
from ''American biographical history of eminent and self-made men ... Michigan Volume.'' Published Cincinnati: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1878.

from the public domain ''Portrait & Biographical Album of Ingham and Livingston Counties, Michigan'', published Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1891

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winans, Edwin Baruch 1826 births 1894 deaths Democratic Party governors of Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Albion College alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians University of Michigan Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Avon, New York Burials in Michigan 19th-century Michigan politicians