John Bannister

John Bannister Sr. (September 8, 1808 – January 3, 1888) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 4th mayor of Beloit, Wisconsin, and represented Rock County in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1851 and 1862 terms. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican after that party was established in 1854.

Biography John Bannister was born in the state of New York, lived for some time in Oneida County, New York, and came to the Wisconsin Territory about 1845, settling in Beloit.

He was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat in 1850, representing Rock County's 2nd Assembly district (then comprising the towns of Beloit, Turtle, and Clinton). During that legislative term, he was also one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Agricultural Society.

Bannister became a Republican shortly after that party was created in 1854, and by 1859 was president of the Rock County Republican Club. In that capacity, he hosted Abraham Lincoln to give a speech in Beloit on October 1, 1859, when Lincoln was not yet a candidate for president. Bannister forgot Lincoln's name when introducing him to the crowd.

The next year, Bannister was elected mayor of Beloit, running on the Republican ticket. The following year, after the start of the American Civil War, he won another term in the Assembly, running as a Union Republican candidate in what was then Rock County's 4th Assembly district (the city of Beloit, and the towns of Beloit and Turtle).