Edwin Winans
22nd Governor of Michigan
In office January 1, 1891 – January 1, 1893
Lieutenant	John Strong
Preceded by	Cyrus Luce
Succeeded by	John T. Rich
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's6th district
In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887
Preceded by	Oliver L. Spaulding
Succeeded by	Mark S. Brewer
Member of theMichigan House of Representatives from theLivingston County 1st district
In office January 1, 1861 – December 31, 1865
Succeeded by	William Ball
Personal details
Born	May 16, 1826 Avon, New York, U.S.
Died	July 4, 1894 (aged 68) Hamburg Township, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Galloway
Signature

Edwin Baruch Winans (May 16, 1826 – July 4, 1894) was aU.S. Representative from and the 22ndgovernor of Michigan.

Winans was born inAvon, New York, and moved with his parents, John and Eliza (née Way), to Michigan in 1834. The family first moved toScio Township inWashtenaw County and in spring 1836 moved toUnadilla Township inLivingston County. His father died in the fall of 1843, and Winans moved with his mother toHamburg Township, also in Livingston County. His mother died in July, 1852 and Winans worked for four years in a wool carding mill. At the age of twenty, he attendedAlbion College,Albion, Michigan, for two and a half years in preparation for entering the Law School of theUniversity of Michigan atAnn Arbor.

Before completing his studies, Winans was drawn by news of theCalifornia Gold Rush, and in March 1850 left for California by an overland route to seek his fortune. Arriving July 20, he engaged in mining first on the north branch of theAmerican River nearPlacerville. He continued the same work with some varied success in different parts of the state. In 1853, he was one of the members of the celebrated Randolph Hill Mining Company in the town ofRough and Ready (now a town west ofGrass Valley inNevada County). In 1855, he returned to Michigan to marry Elizabeth Galloway and then returned to California, where he continued with the company until its dissolution in 1857. He was a principal stockholder in the Rough and Ready Ditch Company and also engaged in banking in Rough and Ready.

He returned to Michigan in 1858 and purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km²) farm inHamburg Township, Michigan, where he and his wife had two sons, Edwin, Jr. and George. He was twice elected a member of theMichigan State House of Representatives 1861–1865 and was a delegate to the stateconstitutional convention of May 15, 1867. He was a Hamburg Township supervisor, 1872–1873 and probate judge ofLivingston County 1877–1881.

Winans was elected as aFusion candidate and seated with theDemocrats in theUnited States House of Representatives for theForty-eighth andForty-ninth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1887. He resumed agricultural pursuits in Livingston County and served asGovernor of Michigan 1891–1893. He was the first Democrat elected governor after theAmerican Civil War (Josiah Begole had been elected in 1882 on a Fusionist ticket combining theGreenback and Democratic Parties). During his tenure, several election reform bills were sanctioned, the most significant of which was thesecret Australian ballot. His son, George, acted as his private secretary.

Winans died in Hamburg, Michigan at age 68, and is interred in Hamburg Cemetery.

Winans's son, also namedEdwin Baruch Winans, was a major general in theUnited States Army and commanding general of theThird Army from September 15, 1932, to September 30, 1933. He also served as superintendent of theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point, New York in 1927.

• United States Congress."Edwin B. Winans (id: W000625)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard
• Winans bio fromCyclopedia of Michigan: historical and biographical, comprising a synopsis of general history of the state, and biographical sketches of men who have, in their various spheres, contributed toward its development Published New York: Western Publishing and Engraving, 1900
• Winans bio fromAmerican biographical history of eminent and self-made men ... Michigan Volume. Published Cincinnati: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1878.
• Winans biographyArchived July 14, 2011, at theWayback Machine from the public domainPortrait & Biographical Album of Ingham and Livingston Counties, Michigan, published Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1891
• Michigan historical marker for Winans
• National Governors Association

• 1826 births
• 1894 deaths
• Democratic Party governors of Michigan
• Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Albion College alumni
• 19th-century American Episcopalians
• University of Michigan Law School alumni
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
• People from Avon, New York
• 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature
• 19th-century United States representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2011
• Webarchive template wayback links