Lyman Eddy Barnes Sr. (June 30, 1855January 16, 1904) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet and Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River (Green Bay tributary ...

. He was a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It has been represented by Republican Tony Wied since November 12, 2024. It was previously vacant from ...

during the

53rd Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 189 ...

(1893–1895). Earlier in his career, he served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Outagamie County, Wisconsin Outagamie County ( ) is a county in the Fox Cities region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in the northeast of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is part of the Appleton ...

Early life

Lyman Barnes was born in Weyauwega, Wisconsin. He attended the public schools in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

, until age 17 when he began studying law in the office of Earl P. Lynch and Charles Barber of Oshkosh. He finished his legal education at the law department of Columbia College, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, graduating in 1876. He immediately returned to Wisconsin, moved to

, and was admitted to the bar there later that year. He formed a law partnership in 1877 with John Goodland, father of future governor

Walter Samuel Goodland Walter Samuel Goodland (December 22, 1862March 12, 1947) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st governor of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Republican Party and attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Biograp ...

. In 1882, he moved to

Rockledge, Florida Rockledge is the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida. The city's population was 27,678 at the 2020 Census, up from 24,926 at the 2010 United States Census, and is part of the Palm Bay−Melbourne− Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, and practiced law there for about five years before returning to Appleton.

Political career

He was elected

Outagamie County Outagamie County ( ) is a county in the Fox Cities region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in the northeast of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is part of the Appleton ...

in 1890.

In 1892, Barnes decided to seek the Democratic Party nomination for

. Wisconsin had just undergone

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 ...

for the

1890 United States census The 1890 United States census was taken beginning June 2, 1890. The census determined the resident population of the United States to be 62,979,766, an increase of 25.5 percent over the 50,189,209 persons enumerated during the 1880 United States ...

, and none of Wisconsin's incumbent U.S. representatives resided in the new 8th district. Barnes faced a difficult contest for the nomination against former U.S. representative Thomas R. Hudd. Barnes and Hudd traveled around the district, collecting the support of delegates at various county level conventions. A serious controversy arose from the Portage County convention, where Hudd accused Barnes' supporters of buying delegates. Several prominent Democrats in the district pledged not to support Barnes if the charges were proved. The controversy alone damaged Barnes in the subsequent Brown County convention and left Hudd in a strong position going into the district convention. Nevertheless, Barnes managed to secure the nomination on the first ballot at the convention. In the general election, Barnes faced Kaukauna businessman and former mayor Henry A. Frambach. Frambach had little formal education and a brief political career, but his campaign sought to emphasize his war record, especially at 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 ...

. Frambach's Republican allies also sought to exacerbate lingering tensions from the Democratic nominating process, insinuating that Hudd would support Frambach over Barnes. Barnes won the election with 53% of the vote. Barnes served in the Democratic majority in the

53rd United States Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 189 ...

(March 4, 1893March 3, 1895) and ran for re-election in 1894. He was renominated without opposition and went on to the general election against Edward S. Minor, a former state senator who was then mayor of

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the bay of Sturgeon Bay for which it is named, it is the most populous city o ...

. The campaign was bitter and negative, with partisan newspapers slinging accusations and innuendo. The national mood had also turned decisively against the Democrats following the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...

. Barnes lost his bid for re-election, taking only 42% of the vote in the 1894 general election.

Later years and death

After losing re-election, Barnes resumed his legal career in Appleton. He never ran for elected office again, but in 1903 was appointed to a state court commission to redraw the state's judicial circuits. On January 10, 1904, Barnes suffered an acute attack of

Appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...

and was taken into the hospital, where surgery was performed. For the first several days after the surgery, his condition appeared to improve, but his condition deteriorated badly on January 15, he spiked a fever and suffered from intense pain and delirium. He died early in the morning on January 16, 1904, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Appleton. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton.

Personal life

Lyman Barnes was the son of William W. Barnes and his wife Lucy Eddy (' Thomas). Barnes married Helen Byrd Conkey, the daughter of Theodore Conkey, in 1880. They had at least five children.

Electoral history

U.S. House (1892, 1894)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Lyman Eddy 1855 births 1904 deaths People from Weyauwega, Wisconsin Politicians from Appleton, Wisconsin People from Rockledge, Florida Columbia College (New York) alumni District attorneys in Wisconsin Florida lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 19th-century Wisconsin politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives