Joseph Wolfinger, Sr. (January 7, 1857 – August 17, 1941) was an American businessman, inventor, and politician. Born in the town of Wilson,

Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Sheboygan County () is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan, Wisconsi ...

, he learned the blacksmith trade and moved to Dundas, in the town of Woodville,

Calumet County, Wisconsin Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton. The county was created in 1836 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1850. Calum ...

in 1877. In 1881, Wolfinger went into the manufacture of

bentwood Bentwood objects are made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns. Furniture-makers often use this method in the production of rocking chairs, cafe chairs, and ot ...

cheese boxes and butter tubs; he was the president of the Dundas Butter and Cheese Company. His factory was destroyed by fire in 1898. Wolfinger invented cannery machinery. Wolfinger served on the Woodville Town Board and the Calumet County Board of Supervisors and was a

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. In 1895 and 1897, Wolfinger served on the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

. He died at his home in

Sherwood, Wisconsin Sherwood is a village in Calumet County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,713 at the 2010 census. The former historical unincorporated community of High Cliff is located within present-day Sherwood. The village began as a named ...

.Inventor, Former Assemblyman, Is Dead, ''The Capital Times'', August 18, 1941, p. 13.

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* 1857 births 1941 deaths People from Calumet County, Wisconsin People from Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub