John James Jenkins (August 24, 1843June 10, 1911) was an

English American English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million America ...

immigrant, lawyer, judge, and Republican politician. He served seven terms as a member of the

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

, representing northwest

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, and served one year as

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

for the

District of Puerto Rico The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (in case citations, D.P.R.; ) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is based in San Juan. The main building is t ...

Early life

John Jenkins was born in Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

shire,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

with his parents at age 8, first settling in

Sauk County, Wisconsin Sauk County is a county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. The county was created in 1840 from Wisconsin Territor ...

, then relocating in 1852 to

Baraboo, Wisconsin Baraboo ( ) is the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, located along the Baraboo River. The population was 12,556 at the 2020 census. The most populous city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo micropo ...

Civil War service

At the outbreak of 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 ...

, Jenkins, then seventeen years old, volunteered for service with the Union Army against his parents' wishes. He was enrolled as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in Company A of the

6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Throughout the war, it was part of the brigade that came to be known as the Iron Brigade in the Army of the Pot ...

. The 6th Wisconsin Infantry was a component of the

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

of 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 ...

throughout the war, and Jenkins participated in nearly all the regiment's marches and battles, including Gainesville,

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 Virgin ...

, Gettysburg, and

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

. His three-year enlistment was due to expire in May 1864, but he re-enlisted as a veteran in January. He was discharged due to disability on February 27, 1865.

Postbellum career

After the war, Jenkins returned to Baraboo and was employed as a

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...

sman on the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...

, running timber from Germantown and

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. In 1867, he was elected as

Sauk County Sauk County is a county (United States), county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo, Wiscon ...

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths ...

for the

Wisconsin circuit court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 9 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and crimina ...

, and was re-elected in 1869. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in his spare time, without the assistance of a teacher, and was admitted to the

State Bar of Wisconsin The State Bar of Wisconsin (SBW) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for all attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license, the State Bar of Wisconsin aids the courts i ...

in July 1870. He resigned as court clerk in October 1870 and moved to

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County. The city's name orig ...

. There, he became the junior partner in a law partnership with James M. Bingham, known as Bingham & Jenkins, and was elected city attorney of Chippewa Falls in 1871. Later that year, he stood as the Republican candidate for

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 ...

in the new Chippewa County district (Chippewa had previously shared a district with Dunn County). In the Fall election, he won with 56% of the vote. In the Assembly, he served on the committee on incorporations. The 1872 session ended in March, and later that year, Jenkins was appointed County Judge of Chippewa County by Governor Cadwallader C. Washburn. He was elected to a full term in 1873, but resigned in 1876 after he was appointed

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The ...

by U.S. President

. He served a four-year term as U.S. Attorney, returning to Chippewa Falls in 1880 and resuming his law practice.

Congress and judiciary

In 1894, four-term incumbent congressman Nils P. Haugen announced he would not seek another term. The Republican district convention nominated Jenkins on the first ballot as their candidate in

Wisconsin's 10th congressional district Wisconsin's 10th congressional district is a former congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin. It was created following the 1890 United States census, 1890 census, and was abolished after the 1970 United St ...

. He won the Fall general election with 58% of the vote. He served as a Representative from that district for the 54th through the 57th

congresses A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

. In the

1900 United States census The 1900 United States census, conducted by the Census Office on June 1, 1900, determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.01% from the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 census. It w ...

, Wisconsin gained another congressional seat, and in the subsequent

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

, Jenkins was drawn into the new 11th Congressional District. In that district, Jenkins was elected to another three terms, serving in the 58th,

59th The 59th Quartermaster Company is a bulk petroleum company designed to provide semi-portable storage for of fuel and to provide distribution of fuel to military units within a specified geographic area while deployed overseas. Its secondary missi ...

, and 60th congresses. He also served as Chairman of the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

during those three terms. In 1908, he was defeated in the Republican

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

by Irvine Lenroot. Jenkins was a casualty of the Republican internecine conflict between conservatives and

progressives Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has universal application and endeavor to spread this idea to human so ...

. Lenroot was a progressive and a close friend of

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...

, the leader of the Progressive Republicans in Wisconsin and an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 1908. Lenroot accused Jenkins of being a tool of the reactionary old-guard Republicans, due to his close association with House Speaker

Joseph Gurney Cannon Joseph Gurney Cannon (May 7, 1836 – November 12, 1926) was an American politician from Illinois and a leader of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Cannon represented parts of Illinois in the United States House of Rep ...

. Lenroot was also assisted in his campaign by an alliance with the

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a Political parties in the United States, political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movemen ...

. Lenroot ultimately carried the primary by about 6,000 votes and went on to win the general election, succeeding Jenkins. Jenkins returned for one final public service in 1910, when President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

appointed him to serve a four-year term as

for

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Jenkins assumed that post in May 1910 but became ill and was unable to perform much judicial work. In April 1911, he requested a two-month leave-of-absence to return to Wisconsin and recuperate. He died on June 10, 1911, at his home in Chippewa Falls, and was succeeded by Paul Charlton.

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, John J. 1843 births 1911 deaths Union army soldiers People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Wisconsin state court judges Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly United States attorneys for the District of Wyoming Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico People from Weymouth, Dorset Politicians from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Politicians from Baraboo, Wisconsin United States Article I federal judges appointed by William Howard Taft Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Wyoming Republicans Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians English emigrants to the United States United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life

Civil War service

Postbellum career

Congress and judiciary

References

Further reading

External links