William Meadows (July 6, 1833 – April 5, 1920) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician. Born in

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Meadows emigrated with his parents to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1842 and settled in

Burlington Flats, New York Burlington Flats is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set ...

, within the town of Burlington,

Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock." History In 1 ...

. In 1850, Meadows settled in

Burlington, Wisconsin Burlington is a city in Racine and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with the majority of the city located in Racine County. The population of the city was 11,047 as of the 2020 census. History Prior to the arrival of Europea ...

. He then moved to the town of Lyons,

Walworth County, Wisconsin Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,478. Its county seat is Elkhorn. The county was created in 1836 from Wisconsin Territory and organized in 1839. It is named for ...

in 1855. Meadows was a farmer and wool broker. In 1878, he bought interest in the Burlington Brick and Title Company and was the general manager. He was involved with the local agricultural society and served as president of the society. From 1876 to 1878, Meadows served as chairman of the Lyons Town Board and was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1881, Meadows served in 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, ...

. Meadows died at his home in Burlington, Wisconsin from pneumonia after coming down with a cold.'News from Burlington,' Death of William Meadows, Racine Journal News, April 10, 1920, pg. 12

Notes

1833 births 1920 deaths English emigrants to the United States People from Bolton People from Burlington, New York People from Walworth County, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Republican-1830s-stub