John Fitzgerald

John Glen Fitzgerald (c. 1827 – January 31, 1863) was an American businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 7th mayor of Oshkosh, and represented Winnebago County for one year in the Wisconsin Senate (1856).

Biography Fitzgerald was of Irish American descent, and was a prominent citizen of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in the 1850s and early 1860s. In the early 1850s, he, along with his partner, B. F. Moore, grew to monopolize the entire steamboat fleet on Lake Winnebago and the Fox and Wolf rivers. From that, he branched into finance in 1854, when he established a commodity exchange at Oshkosh. Around this time, he married Mary Doty, the daughter of Congressman James Duane Doty, an influential Wisconsin Democrat and former governor of the Wisconsin Territory. In 1855, Fitzgerald bought out his partner, Moore, and became the sole proprietor of the Lake Winnebago Steamboat Co., operating five boats. Fitzgerald was also said to have put the steamboats on a more regular schedule and system, earning substantial profits in the process. Fitzgerald served in the 1856 session of the Legislature, but did not run for re-election. Instead he focused on his growing business, purchasing a stake in Oshkosh's first banking partnership, then known as Darling, Wright, & Kellogg, which would become known as Kellogg, Fitzgerald & Co., and organized under the new state banking law. He sought the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in 1860, opposing the renomination of incumbent Charles H. Larrabee, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. In 1862, however, he received the support of the Democratic district convention over Colonel Gabriel Bouck for nomination in the new 5th congressional district. Fitzgerald's nomination was enthusiastically endorsed by Democratic papers in the state, such as the Appleton Crescent, but he ultimately declined the honor, stating that he intended to reside in New York City indefinitely. He told friends that he would kill himself if he thought that he would be sent to such a facility.

Personal life and family Fitzgerald was married to Mary Doty, the daughter of former Wisconsin Territory governor James Duane Doty. They had at least two children together, though one died in infancy.