James Archibald Frear (October 24, 1861 – May 28, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Biography

Born in Hudson, Wisconsin, in

St. Croix County, Wisconsin St. Croix County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,536. Its county seat is Hudson. The county was created in 1840 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1849. St. Croix Coun ...

, Frear attended the public schools, and

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeduca ...

, Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1878. He moved with his parents to Washington, D.C., in 1879. He served in the Signal Service,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

from 1879 to 1884. He graduated from the National Law University, Washington, D.C., in 1884. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Hudson, Wisconsin. He was city attorney of Hudson in 1894 and 1895. He served eleven years with the Wisconsin National Guard, retiring with the rank of colonel and judge advocate. He was elected district attorney of St. Croix County from 1896 to 1901. He was a member of 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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

in 1903. He then served in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

in 1905. Frear became the

Secretary of State of Wisconsin The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second (behind the Lieutenant Governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wisc ...

from 1907 to 1913. Frear was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third and to the ten succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1913 – January 3, 1935). On April 5, 1917, he voted against declaring war on Germany. For his first ten terms in office he represented

Wisconsin's 10th congressional district Wisconsin's 10th congressional district is a former congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin. It was created following United States Census, 1890, the 1890 Census, and was abolished after United States Cens ...

, but for his last term in office, the

73rd Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

, he redistricted and represented

Wisconsin's 9th congressional district Wisconsin's 9th congressional district was a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin. It was created following the 1870 Census along with the 8th district, and was disbanded after the 2000 Census. Fro ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1934. He resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he died May 28, 1939. He was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frear, James Archibald 1861 births 1939 deaths Wisconsin state senators Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Secretaries of State of Wisconsin Lawrence University alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin Wisconsin National Guard personnel National Guard (United States) colonels Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Hudson, Wisconsin Washington, D.C., Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin