Charles Reynolds (November 15, 1839February 2, 1914) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

immigrant, businessman, and Republican politician. 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing

Door County Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,066. Its seat of government is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. T ...

during the

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...

and

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

sessions.

Early life and Civil War service

Reynolds was born on November 15, 1839, in

County Longford, Ireland County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...

. He was raised and educated in Ireland, and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1860, following his brother, John, to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

broke out shortly after his arrival in Wisconsin. He was among some of the earliest volunteers for the Union Army, joining up with a company that would become Company A of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. As the 12th Wisconsin Infantry was being organized, Reynolds was selected to serve as

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

of the regiment. The 12th Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service in October 1861 and was sent south for service in the western theater of the war. The regiment spent much of 1862 and 1863 guarding railroad lines in Kansas, Tennessee, and northern Mississippi. Reynolds was commissioned as a second lieutenant and transferred back to Company A in March 1862, and was then promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in April 1863. With his regiment, he participated in the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, the

Meridian campaign The Meridian campaign or Meridian expedition took place from February 3 – March 6, 1864, from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Meridian, Mississippi, by the Union Army of the Tennessee, led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman captured ...

, and the Atlanta campaign through the latter half of 1863 and 1864. After Atlanta, his captain resigned and Reynolds was promoted to captain of Company A. They then joined Sherman's March to the Sea and his subsequent Carolinas Campaign. In the Spring of 1865, he was detailed to the brigade staff of general Charles Ewing as an assistant adjutant general, where he remained until the end of the war.

Career

After returning to Wisconsin, Reynolds became involved in real estate and bought out a bankrupt property previously owned by his brother, John, in Jacksonport, Wisconsin. Under Charles Reynolds' management, the Jacksonport property prospered and drew in new settlers and commerce. Reynolds employed a large population of laborers for lumbering and sold the products around the region. In Door County, he became involved in politics and was elected to the

in 1902 and 1904. He did not run for re-election in 1906 and was succeeded by his brother, Thomas Reynolds. After leaving the Assembly, he became involved with the Merchants Exchange Bank, and was vice president of the bank before his death. He spent the Winter of 1913–1914 in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, and died there on February 2, 1914.

Personal life and family

Charles Reynolds was one of nine children born to Irish farmers Michael and Mary Ann (' McCann) Reynolds. His mother died when he was a child. Charles' older brother, John, was the first to come to America, followed by Charles in 1860, and then by his brother Michael in 1864. His younger brother Thomas and their sister Katherine came to America in 1866, followed finally, by their father and remaining siblings in 1867. His brother, Thomas, also ended up in Door County and prospered there as a farmer. He also served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Thomas' son was John W. Reynolds, Sr., the 26th

attorney general of Wisconsin The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of Wisconsin, government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since statehood. The ...

, and his grandson was John W. Reynolds, Jr., a federal judge and the 36th

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

. Charles Reynolds married Mary Mahan on April 9, 1870. Mary was a daughter of

Asa Mahan Asa Mahan (; November 9, 1799April 4, 1889) was an American Congregational minister and educator and the first president of both the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) and Adrian College. He described himself as "a religious te ...

, a

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

minister who served as the first president of

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, and served as president of two other colleges. Charles and Mary had five children, though four of them died in childhood, and their last child died at age 21.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Charles 1839 births 1914 deaths Politicians from County Longford Irish emigrants to the United States Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin People from Door County, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union army officers Union army soldiers 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature