Adoniram Judson Holmes (March 2, 1842 – January 21, 1902) a Republican, was the first

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Iowa's 10th congressional district.

Early life

Born in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

, Holmes moved with his parents to

Palmyra, Wisconsin Palmyra is a village in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Scuppernong River. It was named after Palmyra, Syria. The population was 1,719 at the 2020 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Palmyra. History The Town ...

, in 1853. He attended the common schools, and entered

Milton College Milton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District. History The college was founded as the Milton Academy (high sc ...

Milton, Wisconsin Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,716 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction. In No ...

, but left in 1862 after the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, to enter the Union Army. He enlisted as a Private in Company D,

24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 24th Wisconsin was organized at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 15, ...

. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of Company F on March 7, 1864, to 1st Lieutenant of Company K on May 12, 1865, and was honorably mustered out on July 27, 1865. He married Emma Folsom Holmes, and they had three children, Lulu Emma, Judson Harold, and Clarence Folsom.

Career

After the war Holms completed his studies in Milton College. Returning to Janesville he studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, but afterwards took the full course from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

, graduating in 1867. He commenced practice in

Boone, Iowa Boone ( ) is a city in Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Boone ...

, in 1868 in partnership with another young lawyer, L. W. Reynolds. In 1880 and 1881, he was the mayor of Boone. He also served as a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

in 1882 and 1883.

Political career

Iowa received a tenth and eleventh seat in the U.S. House as a result of the 1880 Census. The

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...

created the new 10th congressional district from counties in the old 4th and 9th congressional districts, including Boone County, where Holmes lived. In 1882, Holmes won the Republican nomination in the new district, and won the general election, and was elected to the

48th United States Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1883, ...

.Twice he was re-elected, serving in the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses. He held the seat from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1889. However, when running for a fourth term in 1888, he was challenged in the district convention by future U.S. Senator

Jonathan P. Dolliver Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver (February 6, 1858October 15, 1910) was a Republican orator, U.S. Representative, then U.S. Senator from Iowa at the turn of the 20th century.Thomas Richard Ross, ''Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver: A Study in Political Inte ...

. After 110 ballots in the district nominating convention, Dolliver won. After his defeat, Holmes went to work for Congress. He was chosen as Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives in the

Fifty-first Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...

, at the urging of Congressman David B. Henderson of

Iowa's 3rd congressional district Iowa's 3rd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southwestern quadrant, which roughly consists of an area stretching from Des Moines, Iowa, Des ...

."Reed Secures the Prize," ''New York Times'', 1889-12-01 at p. 1. He then resumed the practice of law in Boone, where he served as county attorney from 1896 to 1899.

Death

Holmes died in Clarinda, Page County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, on January 21, 1902 (age 59 years, 325 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Linwood Park Cemetery, Boone, Iowa.

References

External links

* Retrieved on 2009-05-07 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Adoniram Judson 1842 births 1902 deaths Sergeants at Arms of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Mayors of places in Iowa Milton College alumni People from Wooster, Ohio People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Iowa lawyers University of Michigan Law School alumni Union army soldiers People from Boone, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Palmyra, Wisconsin 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly