John Fetzer

John Fetzer (July 8, 1840 – May 2, 1900) was a German American immigrant, merchant, and Democratic politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Door, Marinette, and Oconto counties during the 1891 and 1893 sessions. He also represented Door County in the State Assembly in 1885 and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life

Fetzer was born on July 8, 1840, in the Grand Duchy of Hessen, in present-day Germany. As a child, he emigrated to the United States with his parents aboard the ship Edwina, arriving at the harbor of New York City. They immediately went west to Albany, New York, then to Buffalo, where they took a boat through the Great Lakes to Wisconsin. They arrived at the port of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in June 1850, a month after landing at New York City. The 9th Wisconsin Infantry was composed mainly of German-speaking immigrants. The regiment left the state in January 1862 and went on to serve in the trans-Mississippi theater of the war. They engaged in operations in Kansas, Arkansas, and Indian Territory. Fetzer served three years and was promoted to corporal. In the Red River campaign, at the Battle of Mansfield, he was given an informal battlefield commission as captain, but was wounded a few weeks later at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. He received a gunshot wound to the right breast and arm, and, after some time in the hospital, he was sent back to Manitowoc until the end of his three-year term. He did not run for re-election in 1886, but ran for Wisconsin State Senate in 1890. The 1890 election was a Democratic wave year, assisted by the backlash against the anti-immigrant Bennett Law, which had been passed in 1889. Fetzer however, initially appeared to have been narrowly defeated by Republican incumbent Edward Scofield. Fetzer challenged the results through the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. After a few weeks of testimony, the Democratic majority ruled in his favor and awarded him the seat in early February 1891.

Fetzer did not run for re-election in 1894, and continue his business interests. He died on May 2, 1900, at Iron River, Michigan.

Personal life and family

John Fetzer was the eldest of five children born to Peter Fetzer and his wife Margaret ( Pitz). Peter Fetzer had been a successful merchant in Hesse before emigrating to the United States. He formally became an American citizen on September 22, 1856, about six years after his arrival in the country.

John Fetzer married Anna Fetzer in 1866. Anna was also a native of Hesse, and was possibly a cousin. They had no known children.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1884)

Wisconsin Senate (1890)