John Harmon (Wisconsin politician)

John C. Harmon (June 16, 1845 – January 22, 1921) was an American lumberman and pioneer of Wisconsin and Washington. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Chippewa County during the 1893 sessions.

John C. Harmon
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Chippewa 1st district
In office
January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895
Preceded byJames Andrew Taylor (whole county)
Succeeded byCharles A. Stanley
Personal details
Born(1845-06-16)June 16, 1845
Wooster, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 1921(1921-01-22) (aged 75)
Puyallup, Washington, U.S.
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Bertha Rades
    (died 1881)
  • Anna Knapp
    (died 1895)
Children
  • Cora Harmon
  • Frank L. Harmon
  • George W. Harmon
  • John H. Harmon

Biography

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John C. Harmon was born in June 1845 in Wooster, Ohio. As a child, he came with his parents to the Wisconsin Territory, settling in Beaver Dam in 1847. He was educated there and went to work in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, in the lumber business. He was justice of the peace and county supervisor in Chippewa County, and was elected town treasurer of the town of Big Bend in 1881 and 1882.[1]

He then moved into the city of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where he was again elected county supervisor and member of the city council. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1892, running on the Democratic Party ticket.[1] He represented Chippewa County's first Assembly district, which then comprised the southwest corner of the county.[1] He was part of a brief Democratic majority in the Legislature. His most notable contribution was likely authoring the first law to make Labor Day a holiday in Wisconsin.[2][3] He was not a candidate for re-election in 1894.

He moved to Puyallup, Washington, about 1908 and resided there until his death in 1921.[4] His body was interred at Chippewa Falls' historic Forest Hill Cemetery.[5]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (1892)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Chippewa 1st District Election, 1892[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1892
Democratic John C. Harmon 1,257 53.26%
Republican C. P. Barker 821 34.79%
Populist Mellen Larabee 184 7.80%
Prohibition F. Sprague 98 4.15%
Plurality 436 18.47%
Total votes 2,360 100.0%
Democratic win (new seat)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 636–637. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "State Labor Day Law Originated in Chippewa Falls". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. September 1, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ An Act to make labor day a legal holiday (PDF) (Act 271). Wisconsin Legislature. 1893. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  4. ^ "Dies at Masonic Home". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. January 23, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "John C. Harmon's Body is Enroute". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. January 28, 1921. p. 3. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
James Andrew Taylor (whole county)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Chippewa 1st district
January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895
Succeeded by