John Milton Read (November 3, 1842March 9, 1881) was an American journalist, Democratic politician, and

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 ...

pioneer. 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

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

Door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...

, and Kewaunee counties during the

1874 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War: Battle of Caspe &n ...

and

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

sessions. In historical documents, his surname is sometimes spelled Reed.

Early life

Born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, he moved with his parents to

Saint Louis, Missouri 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 ...

, as an infant and then 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 ...

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 ...

, in 1847. They remained in Milwaukee only briefly, then relocated north to

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc ( ) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626. History Purporte ...

. His father died in Manitowoc, when John was just 8 years old, but he still obtained a common school education there. In Manitowoc, he also learned the printing trade, which he continued to practice until 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 ...

Civil War service

He volunteered for service in the Union Army during the first year of the war, and was enrolled in Company E of the

14th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 14th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Four of its members received the Medal of Honor for service in the Second Battle of Corinth, October 3 and 4, 1 ...

. While the regiment was being organized, he was promoted to sergeant in his company. The 14th Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service in January 1862, and left the state in March, moving to the Union concentration in western Tennessee. They arrived just days before the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

. Shortly after Shiloh, Read was promoted to sergeant major—the most senior non-commissioned officer in the regiment. He was wounded and captured at the

Second Battle of Corinth The Second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, M ...

, in the fall of 1862, but was released in a prisoner exchange after just a few days. He was wounded again at the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, but remained with the regiment. He was promoted to

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the regiment and commissioned as a

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 ...

in September 1863. The following March, the regiment took part in the Red River campaign and their colonel,

Lyman M. Ward Lyman Munson Ward (October 6, 1836 – January 19, 1909) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Union Army colonel in the American Civil War. He served four years in the Michigan House of Representatives, and received an honorary ...

was made brigade commander. Read went with Ward to join his staff as assistant adjutant general for the brigade, and was subsequently promoted to adjutant general. He served as a brigade adjutant general for the rest of the war.

Politics and publishing career

After the war, he resided for a time at

Warsaw, Missouri Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census. Adjacent to the Osage River it is heavily tied to two major lakes on the river. The uppermost reaches of Lake of the ...

, where he returned to the printing and publishing industry. He returned to Manitowoc after about a year, then moved to

Kewaunee, Wisconsin Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menom ...

, in the fall of 1868. He became associated with the Kewaunee ''Enterprise''—a Democratic partisan newspaper started by

Edward Decker Edward Decker (May 2, 1827July 9, 1911) was an American businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He is known as the founder of Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate during the 1860 and 1861 ...

—and purchased the ownership of the paper from Decker in 1869. He would continue as publisher and editor of the paper until his death. In 1870, he was elected county superintendent of schools, and held office for nine years. While serving in that office, he was also elected to the

in 1873. He represented

Wisconsin's 2nd State Senate district The 2nd Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in northeast Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Menominee County, Wisconsin, Menominee County along with th southern half of Oconto County, Wiscon ...

, which then comprised all of Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties. In 1880, he was elected without opposition 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 ...

from the Kewaunee district, but he resigned before the start of the 1881 legislative session due to poor health. He suffered from disease since his time in the war, and decided to travel to a warmer climate to try to recuperate. He first went to Georgia, but found that his health was not improving. He started on his return, but died en route, on March 9, 1881, at Louisville, where he had been born. His body was returned to Kewaunee, where it was interred.

Personal life and family

John M. Read was the son of Martin and Catherine (' Divens) Read. He was married twice. His first wife was Eliza Johannes, the daughter of county judge and Kewaunee mayor Frederick Johannes. Their marriage lasted less than a year, as Eliza died in the summer of 1871. They had one daughter together, but she died in infancy that fall. The following year, on August 10, 1872, Read married Caroline Johannes, a sister of his first wife. He had three daughters with his second wife, who all survived him.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1873)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, John Milton 1842 births 1881 deaths Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky People from Kewaunee, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature