Thomas Lynch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) FromHistory of Langlade County, Wisconsin (1922) | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's9th district | |
| In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Myron H. McCord |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Stewart |
| 1st & 4th Mayor ofAntigo, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1888 – April 1889 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel W. Keen |
| Succeeded by | J. F. Doyle |
| In office April 1885 – April 1886 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Munson M. Ross |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from theCalumet district | |
| In office January 1, 1883 – January 5, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | Adolph Moeller |
| Succeeded by | Leopold Strasser |
| In office January 6, 1873 – January 5, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | Casper Petersen |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Carter |
| District Attorney ofCalumet County, Wisconsin | |
| In office January 6, 1879 – January 1, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | John E. McMullen |
| Succeeded by | A. A. Hugent |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1844-11-21)November 21, 1844 |
| Died | May 4, 1898(1898-05-04) (aged 53) Pelican Lake, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery,Antigo, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | at least 10 7 died in childhood |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Thomas Lynch (November 21, 1844 – May 4, 1898) was anAmerican lawyer andDemocratic politician from theU.S. state ofWisconsin. He served two terms in theUnited States House of Representatives, representingWisconsin's 9th congressional district. He was also the first mayor ofAntigo, Wisconsin, and served two terms in theWisconsin State Assembly.
Thomas Lynch was born on November 21, 1844, in the town ofGranville,Milwaukee County, in theWisconsin Territory.[1] He was educated in the common schools in Milwaukee County, then moved to the town ofChilton, Wisconsin, inCalumet County, in 1864, and purchased a farm.[2]
In the Spring of 1867 he was elected to the town board of supervisor—winning his election by just 1 vote. The next year he was elected chairman of the town board; he was then re-elected in that office in 1869 and 1870. In 1871, he began teaching school whilestudying law.[2]
In 1872, he was elected to his first term in theWisconsin State Assembly, representing all of Calumet County. He was elected running as anIndependent candidate, but caucused as aDemocrat after joining the26th Wisconsin Legislature.[3]
After the legislative session, in the spring of 1873, he was elected chairman of both his town board and the Calumet County board of supervisors.[2] In 1874, he attended theUniversity of Wisconsin Law School inMadison, Wisconsin, to complete his legal education. He graduated the following year and was admitted to the bar. He immediately returned to Calumet County and formed a law partnership with Calumet's incumbent district attorneyJohn E. McMullen, known as McMullen & Lynch. In 1878 he was elected as successor to McMillan asdistrict attorney, and served two terms.
In 1882, rather than running for another term as district attorney, he ran for election to the Assembly, and was elected to serve in the36th Wisconsin Legislature.[4]
After the end of the 1883 legislative session, he moved north toAntigo, Wisconsin, inLanglade County. When Antigo was incorporated as a city, Lynch was elected the first mayor. He was subsequently elected to another term as mayor in 1888.[1]
In 1890, he was chosen as theDemocratic Party nominee forUnited States House of Representatives inWisconsin's 9th congressional district, which then comprised nearly all of northern Wisconsin—Ashland, Chippewa, Door, Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Oconto, Oneida, Portage, Price, Sawyer, Shawano, Taylor, Waupaca, and Wood counties.[5] At thegeneral election, he defeated incumbent Republican congressmanMyron H. McCord. He went on to win re-election in1892 and served in theFifty-second andFifty-thirdCongresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895).[6] He was defeated in1894, running for a third term.[7]
Lynch resumed his legal practice, but suffered fromBright's disease. In May 1898, he died of the disease at his summer home inPelican Lake, Wisconsin.[8]
Thomas Lynch married Winnifred Finucane on November 2, 1867. They had at least 10 children, though at least seven of those died in childhood. They were members of theCatholic Church.[2] It's not clear if any of his children survived him.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 5, 1872 | |||||
| Independent Democrat | Thomas Lynch | 1,065 | 51.01% | ||
| Republican | Samuel C. Beach | 915 | 43.82% | −5.46% | |
| Democratic | Hector McLean | 108 | 5.17% | −45.55% | |
| Plurality | 150 | 7.18% | +5.74% | ||
| Total votes | 2,088 | 100.0% | +20.35% | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1882 | |||||
| Democratic | Thomas Lynch | 1,029 | 53.26% | +9.91% | |
| Republican | G. D. Breed | 522 | 27.02% | −19.54% | |
| Greenback | J. W. Baldock | 259 | 13.41% | +3.32% | |
| Prohibition | C. W. Thurston | 122 | 6.31% | ||
| Plurality | 507 | 26.24% | +23.03% | ||
| Total votes | 1,932 | 100.0% | -0.05% | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
| Year | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890[5] | Nov. 4 | Thomas Lynch | Democratic | 24,491 | 54.45% | Myron H. McCord (inc) | Rep. | 19,161 | 42.60% | 44,980 | 5,330 |
| J. H. Vrooman | Proh. | 1,290 | 2.87% | ||||||||
| George W. Peck (write-in) | Dem. | 25 | 0.06% | ||||||||
| 1892[6] | Nov. 8 | Thomas Lynch (inc) | Democratic | 19,608 | 52.18% | Myron H. McCord | Rep. | 16,519 | 43.96% | 37,576 | 3,089 |
| Adolph D. Pergoli | Peo. | 1,423 | 3.79% | ||||||||
| William D. Badger | Proh. | 26 | 0.07% | ||||||||
| 1894[7] | Nov. 6 | Alexander Stewart | Republican | 22,741 | 55.98% | Thomas Lynch (inc) | Dem. | 14,910 | 36.70% | 40,623 | 7,831 |
| John F. Miles | Peo. | 2,187 | 5.38% | ||||||||
| John J. Sherman | Proh. | 785 | 1.93% | ||||||||
| Wisconsin State Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theWisconsin State Assemblyfrom theCalumet district January 6, 1873 – January 5, 1874 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theWisconsin State Assemblyfrom theCalumet district January 6, 1, 1883 – January 5, 1885 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 9th congressional district March 4, 1891 - March 3, 1895 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| New city incorporated | Mayor ofAntigo, Wisconsin April 1885 – April 1886 | Succeeded by Munson M. Ross |
| Preceded by Daniel W. Keen | Mayor ofAntigo, Wisconsin April 1888 – April 1889 | Succeeded by J. F. Doyle |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | District Attorney ofCalumet County, Wisconsin January 6, 1879 – January 1, 1883 | Succeeded by A. A. Hugent |
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