Henry Conner (April 1, 1837June 7, 1918) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

hotelier,

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, and politician. He was 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 Vernon and counties during the

1891 Events January * January 1 ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories. * January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a ...

and

1893 Events January * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * January 6 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress; th ...

sessions. Earlier, he served as a Union Army officer during 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 his right leg due to wounds. His last name was sometimes spelled Connor.Several obituaries spelled his name "Connor", whereas the 1893 Blue Book and his gravestone spelled his name "Conner".

Early life

Conner was born on April 1, 1837, in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

. His father died shortly after he was born, his mother remarried and he was raised at the home of his step-father until he was about fourteen years old, receiving a liberal education. At age 14, he went to work a team of mules on the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

, but returned home after three years and apprenticed as a paper-strainer under his step-father, who then had an extensive business in that industry. A few years later, however, his step-father was ruined by the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

, and Henry went to work for the Pennsylvania Central Railroad. In 1858, he cast his first vote for Republican Alexander Henry, in his first campaign for

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...

. After winning the race, Mayor Henry appointed Conner as a fireman in the city's water department.

Civil War service

In April 1861, as reports arrived of the

attack on Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (also the Attack on Fort Sumter or the Fall of Fort Sumter) (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina, by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender of the ...

, Conner quit his job with the city and volunteered for service with the Union Army. He was enrolled as a private in Company C of the 17th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment on a three-month enlistment. Cpt

His enlistment expired in August and he briefly returned to his previous job in Philadelphia. Mayor Henry was replaced by a Democrat in the 1861 election, however, and Conner lost his role. The Republican-controlled gas department in the city, however, offered him a new job, where he remained for nine months. In August of 1862, he resigned again in order to return to the Union Army. He was enrolled as a private in Company G of the

118th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 118th Pennsylvania Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They participated in several major conflicts during the war including the Battle of Gettysburg, Siege of Petersburg, and escorte ...

, but was immediately promoted to sergeant as the regiment was being organized. The regiment mustered into service August 30 and proceeded south to

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, where they were attached to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

. He served in many of the significant battles of the eastern theater of the war, beginning with the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

, less than three weeks after they mustered into service. He was promoted to

first sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

in the midst of the

Fredericksburg campaign The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

in January 1863, and subsequently served at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. In January 1864, he was commissioned as second lieutenant of Company C. In that capacity, he was wounded in the face and neck at the

Battle of Poplar Springs Church The Battle of Peebles' Farm (or Poplar Springs Church or Poplar Grove Church) was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate works guarding Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia, during the Siege of Petersburg in ...

in the Richmond–Petersburg campaign. He missed only six weeks to recuperate, and, on his return, he was 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 ...

for Company H. He was designated for promotion to captain of Company E on March 28, 1865, but was severely wounded three days later in the Battle of Gravely Run. His right leg had to be amputated above the knee and he spent the next seven months in a hospital.

Postbellum years

While recuperating in the hospital, he mustered out of federal service and received a new appointment from the Philadelphia gas department as chief weightmaster. In the Fall of 1866, he was nominated by the Republican Party for the office of

city commissioner City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissio ...

and won the October municipal election. He served a three year term and then returned to employment with the Pennsylvania Central Railroad Company for four years. In 1878, he visited his daughter at

Boscobel, Wisconsin Boscobel ( ) is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2020 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. (1 km) to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River. U.S. Route 61 cross ...

, and became enamored with the area. He immediately leased the Park Hotel in the nearby city of

Viroqua, Wisconsin Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,504 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is in the Viroqua (town), Wisconsin, town of Viroqua. Etymology The town was originally name ...

, and operated the hotel for more than a decade. He switched his allegiance to the Democratic Party and was nominated for

in 1890. He won in the Democratic wave election in Wisconsin in 1890, assisted by backlash against the passage of the anti-immigrant

Bennett Law The Bennett Law, officially , was a controversial state law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1889 dealing with compulsory education. The controversial section of the law was a requirement to utilize the English language as the sole medium ...

in the previous session. He represented the 31st State Senate district, which then comprised Vernon and counties. Conner was part of the Democratic majority which repealed the law in 1891. Conner was not a candidate for re-election in 1894, and was subsequently hired as a messenger in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, serving two years. He largely retired in 1898. He died at Snell Hospital in Viroqua on June 7, 1918, after a long period of poor health.

Personal life

In 1857, Conner married Amanda M. Bransby of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, with whom he had three children, Mary, John, and Henry, of whom only Mary survived her father. Amanda Conner died in 1908, after an illness.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1890)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1890

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Henry 1837 births 1918 deaths American hoteliers Military personnel from West Chester, Pennsylvania Politicians from West Chester, Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia People from Viroqua, Wisconsin Politicians from Vernon County, Wisconsin Pennsylvania Republicans Wisconsin Democrats Philadelphia City Commissioners Wisconsin state senators Union army officers People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature