Ernst Gerhardt Timme (June 23, 1843April 1, 1923) was a
German American
German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry.
According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...
immigrant, farmer, and
Republican politician. He was the 13th
Secretary of State of Wisconsin
A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
(1882–1891) and a member of 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 ...
, representing
Racine and
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 ...
counties. He was a
Union Army volunteer in 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 ...
and lost an arm at the
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...
.
Early life
Timme was born in
Werden
Werden ( Westphalian: ''Wadden'') is a southern borough of the city of Essen in Germany. It belongs to the city district ''IX Werden/Kettwig/Bredeney'' and has 9,998 inhabitants as of June 30, 2006. The borough occupies a space of and is situat ...
, a borough of the city of
Essen
Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
, in what is now western
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. At the time of his birth, this region was part of the
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...
, part of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
.
At age 5, Timme emigrated with his parents 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 ...
by sea. The voyage was difficult, the boat was shipwrecked twice during the crossing, and ultimately took seven weeks to reach its destination.
The Timme family arrived at Southport,
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 ...
(now
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 ...
), on August 17 of that year.
They quickly acquired land in the western part of the county, in the town of
Wheatland, and established a
homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...
.
Timme was educated in the common schools in Wheatland, and, on turning 18, he enlisted in the
Union Army for service in 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 ...
.
Civil War service
Timme enrolled with a company of volunteers from Kenosha County on a three-year enlistment. The company proceeded to Camp Scott in
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 ...
, and was integrated into the
1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which was reorganizing after its previous
3-month enlistment had expired.
Timme's company was designated Company C.
The reorganized 1st Wisconsin was ordered to proceed to
Jefferson, Indiana
Jefferson is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Clinton County, Indiana. The town is named for U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.
History
Jefferson was one of the earliest settlements in Clinton County, being laid out and platte ...
, and then to
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,394 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Elizab ...
, where they were attached to the brigade of General
James S. Negley, in the division of
Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook (April 22, 1831June 12, 1903) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.
Early life
McCook was born in Columbiana County, Ohio. A Scottish family, the McCooks were prominent ...
, and shortly thereafter became part of the
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.
History
The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creatio ...
. With his regiment, Timme participated in the battles of
Perryville,
Stones River
The Stones River (properly spelled Stone's River) is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region and a tributary of the Cumberland River. It is named after explorer and longhunter Uriah Stone, who navigated the r ...
,
Hoover's Gap, and
Chickamauga, in the campaign for control over
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...
in the
western theater of the war.
Timme was wounded during the first day of fighting at the Battle of Chickamauga; the wound was so severe that the surgeon had to amputate his left arm. Though only a private at the time, for his bravery at Chickamauga, he received a
brevet to the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, and later advanced to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
.
Postbellum career
After his amputation, Timme decided to pursue higher education at
Bryant & Stratton College
Bryant & Stratton College (informally Bryant & Stratton or simply BSC) is a private college with campuses in New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as an online education division. Founded in 1854, the college offers associate degree ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio, where he graduated in 1865.
He returned to Wheatland, Wisconsin, where he taught school. Back in Kenosha County, he quickly entered public service—he was elected town clerk, and served as town assessor and
justice of the peace. Then, in 1866, he was elected Kenosha County Clerk and was re-elected seven times, serving fifteen years.
Timme was first discussed as a candidate for
Secretary of State at the 1877
State Republican Convention, which ultimately nominated
Hans Warner
Hans Bertel Warner (born Hans Bertel Pederson; July 12, 1844August 18, 1896) was a Norwegian American immigrant, farmer, and Republican politician. He was the 12th Secretary of State of Wisconsin and served four years in the Wisconsin State Sen ...
, who was elected. In 1881, Warner sought the party's nomination for Governor instead, and the Party selected Timme as their nominee for Secretary of State that year. Timme defeated Democrat
Michael Johnson, of
Springdale, with 48% of the vote.
His two-year term, along with all other statewide elected officers, was subsequently extended to three years by an amendment to the state constitution, which moved state officer elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. He was re-elected in 1884, 1886, and 1888, leaving office in 1891.
That year, he was appointed as an auditor of the
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
by President
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
, serving until Harrison left office in 1893. After the change in administration, Timme returned to Wisconsin, and, in 1894, he won election to 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 ...
, representing all of Racine and Kenosha counties in the recently redrawn
3rd State Senate district. Timme served a single four-year term in the Senate, and afterward received another federal appointment. President
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
appointed him an auditor in the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
, where he remained for the next seven years.
He was then transferred back to the U.S. Postal Service under the presidency of
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, where he served another three years. At the end of Roosevelt's presidency, Timme retired and returned to Kenosha.
Personal life and family
Ernst Timme married Caroline J. Maas, of Wheatland, on March 25, 1867. They had at least eight children, though only three survived to adulthood.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timme, Ernst
County clerks in Wisconsin
Republican Party Wisconsin state senators
Secretaries of state of Wisconsin
1843 births
1923 deaths
Prussian emigrants to the United States
Politicians from Kenosha, Wisconsin
People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War
Farmers from Wisconsin
United States Department of the Treasury officials
American amputees
American politicians with disabilities
19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature