William Nelson (Wisconsin politician)

William Nelson
William Nelson
Member of the Wisconsin Senate; from the 4th district
	In office; January 1, 1872 – January 5, 1874
Preceded by	Adam Schantz
Succeeded by	Adelbert Bleekman
Personal details
Born	July 1, 1839; Rutherglen, Scotland, UK
Died	October 26, 1913 (aged 74); Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Cause of death	Stroke
Resting place	Mount Olivet Cemetery, Salt Lake City
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Elizabeth Fretwell (m. 1866⁠–⁠1913)
Children	Margaret Nelson; (b. 1867; died 1953); Mary Nelson; (b. 1869; died 1938); William Nelson; (b. 1871; died 1910); Esther Nelson; (b. 1875; died 1959); Grace Nelson; (b. 1877; died 1968);
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers; Union Army
Years of service	1861–1864
Rank	1st Sergeant, USV; Brevet Captain, USV;
Unit	10th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War

William Nelson (July 1, 1839 – October 26, 1913) was a Scottish American immigrant, newspaper publisher, and Republican politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Vernon and Monroe counties in the 1872 and 1873 sessions, and was later editor of The Salt Lake Tribune, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Biography[edit]

Born in Rutherglen, Scotland,^[1] he emigrated to the United States in 1842 with his father and settled in Jamestown, Wisconsin Territory, in 1843. Nelson was an editor and publisher, and started working for the Monroe Sentinel in 1852.^[1]

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he volunteered for service in the Union Army and was enrolled as a private in Company I of the 10th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to sergeant during the organization of that regiment and was later promoted to first sergeant. He was a member of the regiment through its entire service in the war, which saw several battles in the Kentucky and Tennessee theater. He was captured along with many others of his regiment during the Battle of Chickamauga, and spent seventeen months as a prisoner of war. He was subsequently given an honorary brevet to the rank of captain.^[2]^[1]

By the time he was released from captivity, his regiment had already been disbanded. He returned to Wisconsin and moved to the village of Viroqua, in Vernon County, where he married Mary Elizabeth Fretwell (1840–1919) in 1866.^[1] In 1871, Nelson served as president of the Village of Viroqua. Then, in 1872 and 1873, Nelson served in the Wisconsin State Senate as a Republican.^[1]^[3] Nelson moved to Utah in 1876.^[1] There he first served as a United States marshal,^[4] and then joined the staff of The Salt Lake Tribune in 1881.^[4] Nelson died of a stroke^[5] while serving as editor of The Salt Lake Tribune.^[1]

Electoral history[edit]

Wisconsin Senate (1871)[edit]

Wisconsin Senate, 4th District Election, 1871^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 7, 1871
	Republican	William Nelson	2,835	67.60%
	Independent	T. C. Ankeny	1,359	32.40%
Plurality			1,476	35.19%	+20.74%
Total votes			4,194	100.0%	+36.52%
	Republican gain from Democratic

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "William Nelson, Editor of the Tribune, Dead". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved October 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tenth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 1. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 663. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1873. p. 433. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "William Nelson, Editor of the Tribune, Dead (continued)". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "William Nelson's Death". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

William Nelson at Find a Grave

Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Adam Schantz	Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 4th district January 1, 1872 – January 5, 1874	Succeeded by Adelbert Bleekman

[Obit-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "William Nelson, Editor of the Tribune, Dead". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved October 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Tenth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 1. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 663. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1873bio-3] "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1873. p. 433. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[Obit2-4] "William Nelson, Editor of the Tribune, Dead (continued)". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[Obit3-5] "William Nelson's Death". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1913. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

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