Joseph Vilas (March 31, 1832 – January 7, 1905) was an American businessman and politician. He was the 10th Mayor of

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 ...

Biography

Born in

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,064 at the 2020 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. T ...

, Vilas went to

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. In 1852, he moved to

. He was involved with the mercantile, railroad, and paper manufacturing businesses. 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 ...

, Vilas served as a draft commissioner. He served in 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 ...

in 1863 and 1864 and was a Democrat. He also served as president of the village of Manitowoc. In 1893, he was elected mayor of Manitowoc. Vilas was president of the Board of Harbor Commissioners. In 1868, he ran for election to 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 ...

and lost the election to Philetus Sawyer. Vilas died by suicide with a firearm in his home in Manitowoc. He had been in ill health for several years. He was a cousin of William Freeman Vilas.'Vilas Is Suicide-The Ex-Mayor of the City of Manitowoc Tires of Fight With Disease-The Story,' Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, January 7, 1905, pg. 1

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* 1832 births 1905 suicides 1905 deaths People from Ogdensburg, New York People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union College (New York) alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Suicides by firearm in Wisconsin American politicians who died by suicide 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub