Isaac W. Van Schaick

Isaac Whitbeck Van Schaick (December 7, 1817 – August 22, 1901) was an American businessman and Republican politician. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He also served six years in the Wisconsin State Senate and two years in the State Assembly. His nephew, Aaron Van Schaick Cochrane, was also a member of congress.

Isaac W. Van Schaick
Photo by C. M. Bell, ca. 1890
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district
In office March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891
Preceded by	Henry Smith
Succeeded by	John L. Mitchell
In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887
Preceded by	Peter V. Deuster
Succeeded by	Henry Smith
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 5th district
In office January 1, 1877 – January 1, 1883
Preceded by	Robert Hall Baker
Succeeded by	Jedd Philo Clark Cottrill
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 1st district
In office January 4, 1875 – January 3, 1876
Preceded by	Alfred L. Cary
Succeeded by	Patrick Drew
In office January 6, 1873 – January 5, 1874
Preceded by	John W. Cary
Succeeded by	Alfred L. Cary
Personal details
Born	December 7, 1817 Coxsackie, New York, U.S.
Died	August 22, 1901(1901-08-22) (aged 83) Catonsville, Maryland, U.S.
Resting place	Athens Rural Cemetery Athens, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Eliza Sanderson ​ ​ (m. 1842⁠–⁠1901)​
Relatives	Aaron Van Schaick Cochrane (nephew)
Occupation	Manufacturer

Early life

Van Schaick was born in Coxsackie, New York, on December 7, 1817. He was educated in the common schools there and worked on his father's farm. He engaged in the manufacture of glue in New York. He moved to Chicago in 1857, and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1861, where he was in the flour-milling business with his wife's family. After the American Civil War, Van Schaick traveled to Arkansas and worked for in the cotton industry. He returned to Milwaukee three years later.

Politics

Van Schaick was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1871. He served as member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1873 and 1875. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1877 to 1882.

Van Schaick was elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth Congress in 1884 as the representative of Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1886, and was succeeded by Henry Smith of the Union Labor Party.

Van Schaick defeated Smith for election to the 51st United States Congress in 1888, receiving 22,212 votes to 20,685 for Smith (running on the Democratic and Labor tickets), 527 for Socialist John Schuler and 302 for Prohibitionist George Heckendorn. He was not a candidate for renomination to Congress in 1890, and was succeeded by Democrat John Lendrum Mitchell. In 1892 he ran unsuccessfully for State Senator from the 4th district, losing to Democrat James W. Murphy.

Late life

He moved to Catonsville, Maryland, in 1894, where he lived in retirement until his death there August 22, 1901. He was interred in Athens Cemetery, Athens, New York.

Personal life and family

Isaac Van Schaick married Eliza Sanderson, daughter of John Sanderson and Margaret Whitfield, in 1842, in Athens, New York. She survived him, but died two years later, in 1903.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872, 1874)

Wisconsin Assembly, Milwaukee 1st District Election, 1872

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	510	85.28%
	Democratic	Jacob Braun	88	14.72%
Total votes			598	100.0%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Wisconsin Assembly, Milwaukee 1st District Election, 1874

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	752	56.54%
	Democratic	John W. Cary	578	43.46%
Total votes			1,330	100.0%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Wisconsin Senate (1876, 1878, 1880)

Wisconsin Senate, 5th District Election, 1876

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	4,563	58.78%
	Democratic	Henry C. Runkle	3,200	41.22%
Total votes			7,763	100.0%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate, 5th District Election, 1878

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick (incumbent)	3,437	53.80%
	Democratic	David G. Hooker	2,639	41.31%
	Greenback	Robert Gunyan	312	4.88%
Total votes			6,388	100.0%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate, 5th District Election, 1880

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick (incumbent)	5,678	60.05%
	Democratic	Henry Smith	3,778	39.95%
Total votes			9,456	100.0%
	Republican hold

U.S. House of Representatives (1884)

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1884

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	16,783	49.05%	+7.31%
	Democratic	Peter V. Deuster (incumbent)	15,907	46.49%	−2.11%
	Greenback	Henry Smith	1,296	3.79%
	Prohibition	C. E. Reed	226	0.66%
		Harrison C. Hobart (write-in)	1	0.00%
Plurality			876	2.56%	-4.30%
Total votes			34,213	100.0%	+71.66%
	Republican gain from Democratic

U.S. House of Representatives (1888)

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1888

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	22,212	50.80%	+20.10%
	Democratic	Henry Smith (incumbent)	20,685	47.31%	+4.80%
	Socialist	John Schuler	527	1.21%
	Prohibition	George M. Heckendorn	302	0.69%	+0.10%
		Write-ins	3	0.00%
Plurality			1,527	3.49%	-8.32%
Total votes			43,729	100.0%	+39.18%
	Republican gain from Labor

Wisconsin Senate (1892)

Wisconsin Senate, 4th District Election, 1892

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	James W. Murphy	5,214	51.01%	+15.47%
	Republican	Isaac W. Van Schaick	4,824	47.19%	−4.32%
	Prohibition	William Bendike	98	0.96%	+0.74%
	Populist	Meschaff	86	0.84%
Plurality			390	3.82%	-12.15%
Total votes			10,222	100.0%	+0.06%
	Democratic gain from Republican

External links

• United States Congress. "Isaac W. Van Schaick (id: V000058)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Isaac W. Van Schaick at Find a Grave