History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 21

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042

USA > Wisconsin > Marathon County > History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens > Part 21

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M. D. Coursey was really the first county superintendent, as up to that time the county was governed under the town school system.

JUDGES OF COURTS OF RECORDS.

From the organization of the state the elections of all judges were fixed to be held in the spring election at the time with the election of town officers.

* He was re-elected in 1913.

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The spring election was and is known yet as "town meeting day" because on that day the town officers must make report to the assembled town electors; town taxes are levied by the people themselves on that meeting, and the term "town meeting" has a fixed legalized meaning.

The election of judges was set for that day to keep the judiciary out of political elections and judges out of political entanglements. There were frequently contested judicial elections, but the candidates were either inde- pendent candidates nominated by the bar, or upon calls from the people, but never were they nominated on a party ticket, at least so far as circuit judges and justices of the supreme court were involved. The nearest to a party nomination in opposition to a sitting justice of the supreme court was in 1895, when Judge George Clementson of Lancaster was a candidate in oppo- sition to Justice Winslow, and was supported by a political committee of Milwaukee county, but it did not succeed. It has been the universal rule in this state to keep judges who have proved themselves learned and upright men, in their places during good behavior, and the state has been the gainer by that policy.

At the time of the organization of this county, it was attached to the third judicial circuit of Wisconsin, which included all the territory north of Dane county, with Judge Charles H. Larrabee as circuit judge. He held several terms of court at Wausau, but either because there was no court house or no pressing business, the terms were only for one day at a time, and for over one year there was no term at all.

When the seventh judicial circuit was established in 1854, George W. Cate was elected circuit judge and held the office until the end of the year 1874, when he resigned, having been elected member of congress in the fall of that year. He was succeeded as circuit judge by Gilbert L. Park who held the office until his death in 1884.

After the death of Judge G. L. Park, Charles M. Webb was chosen cir- cuit judge and re-elected until his death in August, 1911, but when the six- teenth judicial circuit was established in 1891, including Marathon county, Charles V. Bardeen was elected as judge and afterwards was appointed and elected to fill the place on the supreme court made vacant by the death of Justice Newman. W. C. Silverthorn succeeded Judge Bardeen from 1898 to 1908 when he resigned, and A. H. Reid was elected and now presides over the circuit court.

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COUNTY JUDGES.

The first county judge of Marathon county was William H. Kennedy. from 1851 to 1859; he was succeeded by Hiram Calkins, who held the office for three years, then was succeeded by C. Graham for one year. From 1864 to the end of the year 1881, B. Ringle was county judge, and he in turn was succeeded by Louis Marchetti, whose last term would have expired in Jan- uary, 1894, but who resigned before the completion of his term. John J. Sherman was elected county judge in 1893 and took the unexpired term of his predecessor, but removed from the county at New Year, 1894, and resigned and Henry Miller was appointed for his unexpired term and elected judge from January 1, 1895, to the expiration of his last term in December, 1909. He was succeeded by Clyde L. Warren, who was elected in the spring of 1909, and his term will expire January, 1914, tire term of the county judge beginning on the first Monday in January after election.

The municipal court of Marathon county was created by statute in the session of the legislature of 1878, the act amended the session of 1879. by which act the jurisdiction was raised, giving that court the same jurisdiction as a justice of the peace, except that the amount in controversy instead of $200.00, as in justice court, was raised to $500.00, besides giving the munic- ipal court exclusive jurisdiction of all cases arising under the ordinances of the ctiy of Wausau.

In the year 1905 the municipal court was made a court of record, giving it all the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace, and over all cases arising under the ordinances of the city of Wausau, and jurisdiction in suits at law and equity where the amount in controversy does not exceed the sum of $25 .- 000, and jurisdiction in all criminal cases except murder.

Louis Marchetti was elected as municipal judge in the spring of 1904 and re-elected since ; his present term will expire in May, 1916.

The election returns since 1896 show a total change of party strength in this county, more so than in most other counties in the state, a greater change in favor of the Republican party; in fact, than on an average throughout the nation. What was the cause of this change?

The main cause lies in the fact that this county has become the manu- facturing center of the Wisconsin valley; that manufacturers, as a rule, and in Marathon county with hardly an exception, are with the Republican party, because in favor of a high protective tariff. Then the hard times from 1893 to 1898 were laid rightly or wrongly at the door of the Democratic party, as being caused by the Wilson tariff.

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The younger growing generation naturally ranged itself with the winning side, and the successive defeats from 1894 to 1910 disheartened many Demo- crats, and they staid away from the polls. The younger generation of De- mocrats had an uphill contest ever since 1896, when a number of old influen- tial leaders opposed Bryan. Most of them returned in 1900, but they could not bring back their following.

In later years the speaker canvassing the county in the interest of the Democratic party and its candidates were younger men, notably F. W. Gen- rich and F. P. Regner, the latter canvassing the county thoroughly since 1906. They were assisted in the last few years by J. F. Lamont, J. P. Coates, John Ford, and R. E. Puchner. On the Republican side A. L. Kreutzer, F. E. Bump, C. B. Bird, M. B. Rosenberry were a quartet of eloquent speak- ers with C. S. Curtis and A. W. Trevitt and John Oskoneski assisting, but they have not been heard since 1908. Anton Mehil has been the stand by Republican German speaker in this county, addressing meetings more or less in every campaign, with Edw. Gorman and A. W. Prehn, especially in 1910 and 1912.

Neal Brown has not been heard in this county since 1902, although he made a state canvass in 1908. . The last speaker of national reputation heard in Marathon county was ex-Gov. J. P. Altgeld in 1900 and Judson M. Har- man in 1904. The Republicans had Sen. R. M. LaFollette speak here in 1902 and 1912.

Marathon county has been governed by honest, patriotic men since its organization. No scandals have ever darkened its history. As a rule, its officers were honest, efficient in the discharge of their duties, and accom- modating, some more than others. A few, very few, have been found short in their accounts when the office was turned over to the successor, but in every instance the county was reimbursed, and in only one instance were the bondsmen the losers, and that not to a large amount.

It may be said in passing that those that proved unfaithful were not known as strong, active partisans, and either party had its share of unfaith- ful public servants. Especially is it gratifying and to the credit of the county board, which holds the purse strings of the county, that in all those matters over which this body has large and discretionary powers, in the building of public buildings, bridges, and highways, no spot can be found to darken the fair record of Marathon county.

This chapter cannot be closed without mentioning at least two of the county officers for particular conspicuous service.

One of them is Mr. John Ringle who was elected as a very young man

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to the office of county clerk in 1872 and twice re-elected. The office kept by him, the books are a model of its kind, especially the important tax ab- stracts and tax sale books. But that alone would not recommend him to any particular mention. At the close of his third term he was elected as a mem- ber of the assembly for the session of 1879. It was in that session in his first term, too, that he met and defeated the powerful Wisconsin Central Railroad lobby, who had obtained another five years' exemption bill from taxes for their lands through the senate, and they felt confident and . assured of passing it through the assembly. The real manager of that railroad, a powerful Republican politician, Charles L. Colby, was at Madi- son to attend personally to the passage of the measure. A tyro in politics would have accomplished nothing against him. But Mr. Ringle understood how to combat lobby, and after a hard fight and without calling upon the county for any assistance in the way of home support or home lobby, he killed the iniquitous measure. The only help he had was from a friend who hurriedly circulated throughout the county a number of remonstrances which were signed by thousands of people and forwarded to Madison. Still in those days petitions and remonstrances had not much weight in the legis- lature, but nevertheless it gave the member a weapon in hand to work.

In the same session, also single handed, he defeated the bill to divide the county. This is surely a record to be proud of. When there was a great danger of a smallpox epidemic in 1874, he urged the city council to purchase from the county for the sum of $40.00 the forty acres of land which the city bought and now owns on the southwest side, for the site of an isolation hos- pital. He had to urge it strong, because at that time it was thought to be too far away. Now it is one of the most valuable possessions of the city. Will be made into a fine park before long.

Another gentleman who needs be mentioned especially is J. R. Bruneau, who died in harness close at the end of his term as county treasurer. As has been said in another place, his first election in the year 1898 was the most stubbornly contested: he took charge of the office in 1879. Any one who read the former chapters may have been surprised to learn of the discount on county orders in this now wealthy county. County orders sold at fifty cents on the dollar. Yes, for years. Towards the close of the sixties orders had come to about sixty-five and seventy cents, and at the close of the term of F. W. Kickbusch orders had advanced to eighty and eighty-five cents, and may even have touched par, when presented at tax paying time.

With the advent of J. R. Bruneau this discount vanished at once. County orders were cashed and have been ever since. How was it accomplished ?

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By Mr. Bruneau not only acting as treaurer, as holder of the funds, but in the capacity of comptroller as well. When he saw the funds dwindle, he called the attention of the county board to the state of finances. By his books he could tell day after day what the balances were in the different funds. He convinced the members that it was more profitable for the county to borrow money when needed at the rate of 6 or even 7 per cent a year, being 2 per cent for three months, than letting orders go to protest and a discount. He . "taught" the county board to keep expenses within the income of the county.

From the time that orders were cashed, the county contracted on a cash basis ; its business was sought by contractors and merchants ; the county saved thousands of dollars year after year by his acting in the double capacity of treasurer and comptroller.

J. R. Bruneau was elected and three times re-elected and declined the fifth nomination. After he was out of the office for two years, he submitted under pressure from party friends to another nomination and was elected. He had accepted under misgivings, pleading ill health as an excuse or rather justification for declining further service.

Time proved that his health was not as strong as might have been wished, and he peremptorily refused another nomination, saying that he would be happy when his term would be ended. It ended sooner than expected from sudden failure of the heart. He died without previous warning a few weeks before the end of his term. His office was turned over to his successor imme- diately after the funeral, with every account and fund and cash in the best of order. No man has given more faithful service, and no one was more accommodating or more efficient in public life than J. R. Bruneau.

The election of Woodrow Wilson and Thomas R. Marshall marks the beginning of a new era in American politics. The feeling engendered by the Civil war and the color line is wiped out. If the Spanish-American war had no other good results, it had at least that result. There is now a united coun- try. Economical and sociological problems will divide the people South as well as North. Wilson enters upon the administration with the hearty good will of the people, including his opponents, and if he can rise to the heights of statesmanship and be able to control and unify the conflicting elements in his own party, the country will enter upon an era of prosperity as no other country in the world.

CHAPTER XV.

Senators and Members of Assembly.

SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.

For purposes of legislation, the state is divided into 33 senatorial and 100 assembly districts, which should be nearly equal in point of population. The southern part of the state being first settled and populated when the northern half was yet a wilderness, this portion of the state was for a long time attached to other counties as a part of a senatorial or assembly district, which other counties exerted a controlling influence in the nomination and election of senators and members of assembly, especially senators. The first state senator elected from Marathon county was W. C. Silverthorn, elected in 1874. As the county became stronger in votes other parts of the senatorial district found it necessary to give more attention to this part of the district by taking candidates from Marathon county. Up to the year 1883 the ses- sions of the legislature were held every year, but by an amendment to the constitution adopted in 1881, the sessions were made bi-annually and the term of a senator fixed for four years, or two sessions.

This county was represented in the senate by the following gentlemen from Marathon county: W. C. Silverthorn, Democrat, 1875-1876; J. A. Kellogg, Republican, 1879-1880; Charles F. Crosby, Republican, 1881-1882.

The sessions from now on were bi-annually and the term of the senator was four years. John Ringle, Democrat, 1883-1885: J. E. Leahy, Repub- lican, 1887-1889; Neal Brown, Democrat, 1893-1895; A. L. Kreutzer, Re- publican, 1899-1901-1903-1905; W. WV. Albers, Democrat, 1911-1913.

Members of assembly: Walter D. McIndoe, Whig, 1850-1854-1855; Burton Millard, Republican, 1858; B. Ringle, Democrat, 1861-1872- 1875-76-77; B. G. Plumer, 1866; C. Hoeflinger, Democrat, 1862-1870; W. C. Silverthorn. Democrat, 1868-1874: R. P. Manson, Democrat, 1871: D. L. Plumer, Democrat, 1873: F. W. Kickbusch. G. B., 1878; John Ringle, Democrat, 1879-1880-1881-1893: John C. Clarke, Democrat, 1882; J. E. Leahy. Democrat, 1883.

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From this time on the sessions are bi-annually: S. Kronenvetter, Demo- crat, 1885; Henry Miller, Democrat, 1887.

At this time the county was divided into two assembly districts: District No. I, including the territory west of the Wisconsin river except the city of Wausau and being numbered district No. I. All the territory east of the Wisconsin river and including the city of Wausau was numbered district No. 2. Joseph Chesek, first district. Democrat, 1889; M. P. Beebe, second dis- trict, Democrat, 1889; Thomas O'Connor, first district, Democrat. 1891; Neil Brown, second district, Democrat, 1891; A. B. Barney, first district, Democrat, 1893; John Ringle, second district, Democrat, 1893; Robert Plisch, first district, Democrat, 1895; George Werheim, second district, Republican, 1895; H. M. Thompson, first district, Republican, 1897; M. H. Barnum, second district, Republican, 1897; G. E. Vandercook, first district, Repub- lican, 1899; George Werheim, second district, Republican, 1899; Alfred Cook, first district, Republican, 1901 : Herman Miller, second district, Re- publican, 1901 ; Willis LaDue, first district, Democrat, 1903; Herman Miller, second district, Republican, 1903; Fred Prehn, first district, Republican, 1905; A. F. Marquardt, second district, Republican, 1905; Nicholas Schmidt, first district, Democrat, 1907; A. F. Marquardt, second district, Republican, 1907; Nicholas Schmidt, first district, Democrat, 1909; A. F, Marquardt, second district, Republican, 1909; Nicholas Schmidt, first district, Democrat 1911; A. J. Plowman, second district, Democrat, 1911; Francis F. Schilling, first district, Republican, 1913; Oscar Ringle, second district, Democrat 1913.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.

JOHN A. KELLOGG.

Senator John A. Kellogg was born in Bethany, Wain county, Pennsyl- vania, March 16, 1828. In 1840 his parents removed to Prairie du Sac, Wis- consin. He studied law in Madison and was admitted to the bar in Sauk county, Wisconsin, in 1857, where he commenced the practice of his pro- fession. He enlisted in 1861, was made first lieutenant in Company K, Sixth Wisconsin Infantry; reached the grade of Colonel December 10, 1864, and was assigned to the command of the so-called "Iron Brigade," in the absence of Gen. E. S. Bragg, was made brevetted brigadier general for meritorius service April 9, 1866, with rank from April 19, 1865. He served in the Potomac army from the beginning of the war until the Battle of the Wilder-

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ness, when he was wounded, left on the field, and taken prisoner May 5, 1864. After several unsuccessful attempts he succeeded in escaping and reached the federal lines at Calhoun, Georgia, October 26, 1864. He was United States pension agent for the La Crosse, Wisconsin, district, from 1866 until 1875, when he resigned and removed with his family to Wausau to practice his profession. He was an able lawyer, and until his death was a partner of C. V. Bardeen under the firm name of Kellogg & Bardeen. From the time of his residence at Wausau, he became prominent in political circles and a leader of the Republican party. He was elected as a Republican senator over M. H. Wadleigh ( Democrat) of the twenty-first senatorial district, being then composed of Marathon county and Portage county. Gen. J. A. Kellogg was a generous hearted, patriotic citizen; politically he belonged to the radical wing of the Republican party. He died at Wausau in the early part of 1884 and was buried with the honors of an Odd Fellow by Wausau Lodge 215, of which he had been an honored and faithful member.

CHARLES F. CROSBY.

Charles F. Crosby was born in the town of Waterloo, Jefferson county, Wisconsin, December 12, 1847. His boyhood days were spent in Adams county, Wisconsin. He was educated in Bronson and Kilbourn institutes, pursuing a collegiate course. He was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1870; went to Minnesota in 1871, and while there was elected to the office of dis- trict attorney, county judge, and member of assembly. He came to Wau- sau in 1875. entered into the practice of law with B. W. James under the firm name of James & Crosby; was elected as district attorney in 1878 as a candidate of the Greenback party, and to the state senate in 1880 as a Republican. At the resignation of H. S. Alban as municipal judge of Mara'- thon county caused by changing his residence to Rhinelander, Oneida county, Mr. Crosby was appointed as successor to Judge Alban, in January, 1888, which office he held until his death on the first day of December, 1889. C. F. Crosby made a host of friends during his short sojourn in Marathon county by his affability and generous good nature. He was buried with Masonic honors at Wausau.

BURTON MILLARD.

·Burton Millard has been mentioned as one of the pioneers of Wausau; he was a millwright by trade, and on his coming to Wausau, opened a shop

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on the property still owned by his children on Third and Washington and Fourth streets. He was young and unmarried as most pioneers, but ex- changed the state of single blessedness and became a faithful benedict by marrying Miss Harriette Crown in 1854. He was one of the few pioneers who had some means when he arrived, not sufficient to engage in large enterprises, but sufficient to assist where he saw a little help would do good and could be safely advanced. His popularity is attested by the fact that he was elected as a Whig and Republican in the county which gave a major- ity for other Democratic candidates, against another popular candidate and Democrat, Thomas Hinton. When the war broke out, B. Millard enlisted with the first batch from Marathon county in 1861, and was shot by the enemy, in the last days of April, 1862, at Lee's Mill, Virginia, while on picket duty, dying almost instantly-the first man killed from Marathon county. His esteemed widow later married Dr. T. W. Smith, and is still liv- ing, enjoying good health. Besides his widow, he left three sons: Albert, Arthur and Paul, and a daughter, Henriette.

SEBASTIAN KRONENWETTER.

Sebastian Kronenwetter was born January 20, 1833, in Wuertemberg, Germany; received a good common school education and emigrated to the United States, where he worked in the pineries of Pennsylvania; he was married to Miss Mary Biry, in St. Mary. Elk county, Pennsylvania. He migrated to Wisconsin in 1857, first settling in Mosinee ; then kept a boarding house for some time and came to Wausau, where he conducted the United States Hotel, already referred hereinbefore, for two years, when it burned down, leaving him penniless. Undaunted by his hard luck, he returned to Mosinee: working, laboring and saving, and after two years began logging on a small scale with good success. In the decade from 1865 to 1870 his logging operations were carried on on Scotch creek, and while successful in a general way, still he was handicapped again by twice failing to get his logs out of the creek in the spring and into the Rib river by reason of an insuffi- cient freshet. He purchased the Gouldsbury ( Keelerville) mill in 1870 and removed there with his family, where he carried on the lumber business until his death, on April 27, 1902. A man of honor and strict integrity, generous hearted, always responding to the appeals of the worthy needy, and accom- modating almost to a fault, he was held in the highest esteem by his numer- ous friends and acquaintances. For ten years he was a member of the county board and its chairman in 1880. As a public officer he was honest and fear-

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less in the discharge of his duties, and enjoyed alike the esteem of opponents as well as friends. He was a worthy and influenthial member of the Catholic church. A patriotic American citizen in the best sense, he loved good Ger- man customs and manners, and was a friend of German societies. His widow and his children, Mrs. Helen Lutz, Karl, George, Mrs. Clara Wirth, Henry, Mrs. May Kretlow and Mrs. Anna O'Connor, survive him.

HENRY MILLER.

Henry Miller was born in Langgoens, Hesse, Darmstadt, Germany, Feb- ruary 19, 1849. He received a good common school education in Germany ; was then apprenticed to a merchant to learn bookkeeping and the mercan- tile trade. He emigrated in 1868, and settled first in Belfast, Alleghany county, New York; later in Friendship, New York, where he was married to Helen A. Mathews, a native of that town. He engaged in teaching; came with his family to Wausau in 1872, and taught school for three years. In 1875 he was elected city clerk of Wausau, reelected in 1876 and 1877. In 1878 he was editor of the Waechter am Wisconsin, a weekly newspaper printed in the German language, founded in the interest of the Greenback party. In 1878 he was elected county clerk as a candidate of the Greenback ticket, and reelected as a Democrat in 1880, 1882 and 1884. He was the candidate of the Democratic party for member of assembly in 1886 and elected by a good majority over his Republican opponent. In 1892 he was elected municipal judge, to which office he was reelected and served until 1904, when he declined to be a candidate. On the resignation and removal from Marathon county of J. J. Sherman, county judge, he was appointed to fill the vacancy, and reelected until 1909. He has filled every office in a highly satisfactory manner, and his urbane manners, his attention to duties and his impartial discharge of duties made him respected among the members of the bar and the people. He is an honored member of the Masonic fra- ternity, the A. F. and A. M. He was foreman of the volunteer fire depart- ment of Wausau from 1880 to 1881, an association which worked hard and faithfully and voluntarily, i. e., without compensation. He is also a mem- ber of the "Sons of Herman" and was the grand master of that order. His family consists of wife and four children, Harry, Leon, Nina and Amy.

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History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 21

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042