John Edwin Holmes (December 28, 1809May 8, 1863) was an American lawyer, minister, and politician. He was the 1st

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, ...

and a Union Army officer 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 ...

. He was captured by

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

forces during the Battle of Brentwood and died of disease.

Early life

Born in

Glastonbury, Connecticut Glastonbury ( ) is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States, formally founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is ...

, Holmes moved with his parents to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

when he was four; and both parents died when he was eight. He then lived with his grandfather until he was twelve. He moved to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, in Madison County, and studied while working to support himself, and was able to teach in a common school. He attended an academy and prepared himself and was ordained a Universalist minister in 1833. He preached for a short time in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He soon began to study law in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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 ...

in Illinois. He joined the Democratic Party and moved to 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 ...

, settling in what is now

Jefferson, Wisconsin Jefferson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It lies at the confluence of the Rock and Crawfish rivers. The population was 7,793 at the 2020 census. The city is partially bordered by the Town of Jeffe ...

, to practice law.

Career

Holmes served on the Council of the Wisconsin Territory—the upper house of the territorial legislature—representing Jefferson and Dodge Counties through the final years before statehood. When Wisconsin became a State, in 1848, Mr. Holmes was chosen as the first lieutenant governor of the state, and served in that capacity for 1848 and 1849 under governor Nelson Dewey. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1849. But in 1852 he was elected to 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 ...

for the 1853 session, surviving an election challenge from Benjamin F. Adams.

Civil War

After the outbreak of the Civil War, Holmes volunteered for service with the Union Army and, in August 1862, he became a

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

for the 22nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He remained with the regiment until March 25, 1863, when he was taken prisoner along with many of his regiment at the Battle of Brentwood. He was sent to

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate States of America, Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army, taking in numbers from the nearby Seven Days battl ...

where he became seriously ill. He was returned to the Union in a

prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoner of war, prisoners of war, spy, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, cadaver, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conven ...

on May 5, 1863.

Death

Two days after his release, Holmes was sent to

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, where he died the next day on May 8, 1863. His remains were brought to Jefferson, and were

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 ...

with Masonic rites at Greenwood Cemetery Jefferson,

Jefferson County, Wisconsin Jefferson County is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 84,900. Its county seat is Jefferson, Wisconsin, Jefferson. Jefferson County comprises the ...

Family life

Son of Solomon and Ann (McKee) Holmes, Holmes married Miss Ruth A. Hawley, of Milan, Ohio, in 1836 and they had four sons.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, John Edwin 1809 births 1863 deaths People from Glastonbury, Connecticut People from Jefferson, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Lieutenant governors of Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war Quartermasters Illinois lawyers Wisconsin lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Politicians killed in the American Civil War 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature