Thomas Lynch (congressman)

Other notable people share this name. See Thomas Lynch (disambiguation).
Thomas Lynch
From History of Langlade County, Wisconsin (1922)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 9th district
In office
March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895
Preceded byMyron H. McCord
Succeeded byAlexander Stewart
1st & 4th Mayor of Antigo, Wisconsin
In office
April 1888 – April 1889
Preceded byDaniel W. Keen
Succeeded byJ. F. Doyle
In office
April 1885 – April 1886
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMunson M. Ross
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Calumet district
In office
January 1, 1883 – January 5, 1885
Preceded byAdolph Moeller
Succeeded byLeopold Strasser
In office
January 6, 1873 – January 5, 1874
Preceded byCasper Petersen
Succeeded byBenjamin F. Carter
District Attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin
In office
January 6, 1879 – January 1, 1883
Preceded byJohn E. McMullen
Succeeded byA. A. Hugent
Personal details
Born(1844-11-21)November 21, 1844
Granville, Wisconsin Territory
DiedMay 4, 1898(1898-05-04) (aged 53)
Pelican Lake, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeQueen of Peace Catholic Cemetery, Antigo, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Winnifred Finucane
​
​
(m. 1867⁠–⁠1898)​
Childrenat least 10
7 died in childhood
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin Law School
ProfessionLawyer

Thomas Lynch (November 21, 1844 – May 4, 1898) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 9th congressional district. He was also the first mayor of Antigo, Wisconsin, and served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Biography

Thomas Lynch was born on November 21, 1844, in the town of Granville, Milwaukee County, in the Wisconsin Territory.[1] He was educated in the common schools in Milwaukee County, then moved to the town of Chilton, Wisconsin, in Calumet 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 while studying law.[2]

In 1872, he was elected to his first term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing all of Calumet County. He was elected running as an Independent candidate, but caucused as a Democrat after joining the 26th 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 the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, 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 attorney John E. McMullen, known as McMullen & Lynch. In 1878 he was elected as successor to McMillan as district 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 the 36th Wisconsin Legislature.[4]

After the end of the 1883 legislative session, he moved north to Antigo, Wisconsin, in Langlade 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 the Democratic Party nominee for United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin'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 the general election, he defeated incumbent Republican congressman Myron H. McCord. He went on to win re-election in 1892 and served in the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895).[6] He was defeated in 1894, running for a third term.[7]

Lynch resumed his legal practice, but suffered from Bright's disease. In May 1898, he died of the disease at his summer home in Pelican Lake, Wisconsin.[8]

Personal life and family

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 the Catholic Church.[2] It's not clear if any of his children survived him.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872)

Wisconsin Assembly, Calumet District Election, 1872[3]
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%
Democratic hold

Wisconsin Assembly (1882)

Wisconsin Assembly, Calumet District Election, 1882[4]
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%
Democratic gain from Republican

U.S. House of Representatives (1890, 1892, 1894)

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%

References

  1. ^ a b "Lynch, Thomas 1844 - 1898". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "History of Calumet County". History of Northern Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company. 1881. p. 180. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Turner, A. J., ed. (1873). "Official Directory" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 441. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Heg, J. E., ed. (1883). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 485. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1891). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 574. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 622. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Casson, Henry, ed. (1895). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 660. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Death of Thomas Lynch". Appleton Post. May 12, 1898. p. 1. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Calumet district
January 6, 1873 – January 5, 1874 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Calumet 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
from Wisconsin's 9th congressional district
March 4, 1891 - March 3, 1895 		Succeeded by
Political offices
New city incorporated Mayor of Antigo, Wisconsin
April 1885 – April 1886 		Succeeded by
Munson M. Ross
Preceded by
Daniel W. Keen
 Mayor of Antigo, Wisconsin
April 1888 – April 1889 		Succeeded by
J. F. Doyle
Legal offices
Preceded by District Attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin
January 6, 1879 – January 1, 1883 		Succeeded by
A. A. Hugent