John Black (Wisconsin politician)
John Black | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from theUnited States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men;Wisconsin volume (1877) | |
| 24thMayor of Milwaukee | |
| In office April 1878 – April 1880 | |
| Preceded by | Ammi R. Butler |
| Succeeded by | Thomas H. Brown |
| Member of theWisconsin Senate from the6thdistrict | |
| In office January 5, 1874 – January 3, 1876 | |
| Preceded by | John L. Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | John L. Mitchell |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from theMilwaukee3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | James Hoye |
| Succeeded by | James McGrath |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jean Schwartz August 16, 1830 Bitche,Lorraine,France |
| Died | October 25, 1899(aged 69) Milwaukee,Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery,Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Spouse | Elizabeth M. Schoeffel (died 1891) |
| Children |
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| Signature |  |
John Black(bornJean Schwartz;August 16, 1830 – October 25, 1899) was aFrench Americanimmigrant andDemocraticpolitician. He served as the24th mayorofMilwaukee,Wisconsin, and representedMilwaukee Countyfor three years in theWisconsin Legislature.[1]
Biography
[edit]Black was born nearBitche,Lorraine,France.He attended college inMetzbefore moving with his family to theUnited Statesin 1844, settling nearLockport, New York.He moved with his wife to Milwaukee in 1857, where he started awholesalewine and liquorbusiness. Black was active in politics, having served in theWisconsin State Assembly,theWisconsin State Senate,the Milwaukee Common Council, and, in 1878, asMayor of Milwaukeefor a two-year term, aDemocratin a city largelyRepublicanat the time. He appointed a fellow Democrat aspolice chief,who fired twenty-five Republicanpolicemen(as part of thespoils systemthen prevalent).[2]He was described by a contemporary, publisherWilliam George Bruce,as "a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-bearded man, a positive character who spoke his mind freely and who called a spade a spade."[3]Black was the Democratic nominee to theUnited States Congressin 1886, but was defeated byHenry Smithof theUnion Labor Party.
He died at his home in Milwaukee on October 25, 1899.[4]He is buried atCalvary Cemetery.[5]
References
[edit]- ^John Black
- ^Wellauer-Lenius, Maralyn A.Milwaukee Police Department.Mt. Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008; p. 10.
- ^Bruce, William George. "Memoirs of William George Bruce: Seeing and Hearing Eminent Persons".Wisconsin Magazine of History,V. 18, No. 1 (September 1934), p.52
- ^"Prominent Milwaukeean Dead".The Green Bay Gazette.Milwaukee. October 26, 1899. p. 1.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022– via Newspapers.com.
- ^Aikens, Andrew J. and Lewis A. Proctor, eds.Men of progress. Wisconsin. A selected list of biographical sketches and portraits of the leaders in business, professional and official life. Together with short notes on the history and character of Wisconsin.Milwaukee: The Evening Wisconsin company, 1897; pp. 630-632.
- 1830 births
- 1899 deaths
- People from Bitche
- Mayors of Milwaukee
- Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Wisconsin city council members
- Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators
- 19th-century American legislators
- French emigrants to the United States
- 19th-century Wisconsin politicians
- Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Milwaukee)