Charles Clark Sholes (January 8, 1816 – October 5, 1867) was a Wisconsin politician and newspaperman. He was the 8th Speaker 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 ...

and 2nd Mayor of

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

. He also served in the

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

. His younger brother was

Christopher Latham Sholes Christopher Latham Sholes (February 14, 1819February 17, 1890) was an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard, and, along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden and John Pratt, has been contended to be one of the inventors of the fir ...

, the inventor of the typewriter.

Biography

Born in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

, to Orrin and Catherine Sholes, he worked for a time in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and learned printing. In 1836, he moved to Green Bay, in the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

and published his own paper, the ''Green Bay Wisconsin Democrat''. He was also a publisher of the first newspaper in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, the ''Wisconsin Enquirer''. While in Green Bay, he first entered politics, serving as a Democrat in the lower chamber of the Wisconsin Territorial Assembly during the first and second sessions (1837-1840). In 1840, he moved his plant and paper to

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 census. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Ke ...

, then known as "Southport", and renamed the paper the ''Telegraph''. In Kenosha, his brother Christopher Latham Sholes managed the paper, and eventually purchased the business from Charles. In 1843, he foreclosed a lien on the ''Wisconsin Enquirer'' and moved that company to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, where the paper was renamed the ''Milwaukee Democrat''. That same year, however, Sholes stopped production of that paper and began publishing a new paper called the ''American Freeman'', affiliated with the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

Liberty Party. Sholes was managing editor of that paper until 1846. In 1847, Sholes returned to Kenosha and made his home there. He was elected Mayor of Kenosha, serving from 1852 to 1856. And was elected as a Republican to represent Kenosha in the

for 1855, he was also chosen as Speaker of the Assembly that year. Later that year, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but was defeated by Democrat Arthur MacArthur, Sr., who went on to briefly serve as Governor due to a controversy over election fraud in the gubernatorial election. Along with

Zalmon G. Simmons Zalmon Gilbert Simmons Sr. (September 10, 1828February 11, 1910) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. In business, Simmons was initially successful as an investor and officer in the Wisconsin State Telegraph Company, w ...

, he was the founder of the Wisconsin State Telegraph Company, and in 1855 he became president of that company. Sholes returned to politics one more time in 1865, earning election to the

on the National Union Party ticket for the 1866 and 1867 sessions. He died in 1867, after the legislative session was over, but before the official expiration of his term as Senator. He was married to Sarah Elizabeth McKinney. Together they had nine children, though only three lived to adulthood.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sholes, Charles 1816 births 1867 deaths Politicians from Norwich, Connecticut Mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state senators Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Journalists from Wisconsin American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper founders 19th-century American journalists 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin Burials at Green Ridge Cemetery (Kenosha, Wisconsin)