Frederick Carl Winkler

Frederick Carl Winkler (March 15, 1838 – March 22, 1921) was a German American immigrant, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of Milwaukee's west side during the 1872 session. He also served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War and received an honorary brevet to brigadier general.

Early life and education Winkler was born on March 15, 1838, in the Free City of Bremen, in the German Confederation. As a child, in 1844, he emigrated to the United States with his mother. His father had gone ahead of them a year earlier. He was raised and educated in Milwaukee, and received private tutoring from noted educator Peter Engelmann.

Civil War service While studying the law, Winkler became a fervent abolitionist and campaigned extensively for Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 United States presidential election.

The army went into winter quarters, and Winkler spent most of that winter detached from his regiment, serving as a judge advocate at the headquarters of XI Corps and working as an aide to General Franz Sigel. At the start of the spring campaign, Winkler was assigned to the staff of General Carl Schurz, the division commander. He was with Schurz through Chancellorsville and into the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. His regiment had lost their colonel due to a wound at Chancellorsville, and in the first day of Gettysburg both the lieutenant colonel and major were also badly wounded. Winkler resigned from the staff of General Schurz to return to his regiment and assist in leading it through the remaining days of the Battle of Gettysburg.

While leading his regiment through the Atlanta campaign, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1864. Winkler and his regiment received a notable commendation in report of the Battle of Peachtree Creek. Their brigade commander James Wood wrote:

Winkler was designated for promotion to colonel in August 1864, but he never received a federal commission at that rank. He led his regiment through Sherman's March to the Sea in the Fall of 1864, then returned to Wisconsin during that winter to recruit additional manpower for his regiment. While in Wisconsin that Winter, he married Frances M. Wightman.

Postbellum career

Returning from the war, Winkler resumed his legal career and, in 1867, formed a partnership with Ammi R. Butler. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1871, running on the Republican Party ticket. He represented Milwaukee County's in the 1872 session, which then comprised just the 4th ward of the city of Milwaukee—at that time, it was a strip of Milwaukee's west side, north of the Menomonee River. He was also a long-time trustee of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and served on the finance and executive committees of that company.

Personal life and family Frederick C. Winkler was one of at least three children of Carl Winkler and Elizabeth ( Overbeck). His younger brother, August Gotlieb Winkler, moved to Greenville, Alabama, where he was a prosperous merchant and served on the city council.

Frederick Winkler married Frances M. Wightman in 1864. They had six daughters and three sons.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1871)