William Emerson Strong

William Emerson Strong (August 10, 1840 – April 10, 1891) was an American lawyer, businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, serving as inspector general and acting chief of staff for the Army of the Tennessee; he was then the first inspector general of the Freedmans Bureau and received an honorary brevet to brigadier general at the end of the war. After the war, he married into the family of William B. Ogden and became a partner in several of his business ventures. He was treasurer of the Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan Ship Canal and Harbor company, which constructed and operated the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, and was also president of the Peshtigo Lumber Company and a director of the World's Columbian Exposition.

Early life William E. Strong was born in Granville, New York, in 1840. He was raised in that area until age 13, when he moved with his family to a farm in Rock County, Wisconsin. At age 17, he moved to Racine, Wisconsin, to study law under his successful cousin, Marshall Strong. He was set to begin practicing law in 1861, but his bar admission coincided with the Battle of Fort Sumter, which initiated the American Civil War.

Civil War service After news of the war reached Wisconsin, Strong put his career on hold and raised a company of volunteers from Racine for the Union Army, known as the "Belle City Rifles". The Belle City Rifles were organized as Company F of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment when that regiment was established in the spring of 1861, and Strong was elected captain of the company.

The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service on June 11, 1861, and went east to Washington, D.C. Strong led his company through the First Battle of Bull Run. Shortly after Bull Run, Strong accepted a promotion to major and transfer to the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which was then being organized in Wisconsin.

The 12th Wisconsin mustered into federal service in January 1862, and went south to Kansas. After preparing for two separate expeditions which were canceled before launching, they were ordered to proceed east to reinforce the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, in May. He served on McPherson's staff through the entire Siege of Vicksburg, and was given the honor of raising the first American flag over the courthouse in Vicksburg after the Confederate surrender on July 4, 1863.

After McPherson's death, the Army of the Tennessee was placed under the command of General Oliver Otis Howard; Strong was retained on Howard's staff as inspector general and later as acting chief of staff. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in November 1864, serving with the army through the Savannah and Carolinas campaigns.

In March 1865, General Howard was appointed commissioner of the newly established Freedmans Bureau, and he brought along Strong to serve as inspector general of the bureau. He served in that role until mustering out of federal service on September 1, 1866. After the war, he was granted a double brevet, with his brevet to colonel retroactive to September 1864, for his service in the Atlanta Campaign, and a brevet to brigadier general effective March 21, 1865, for his service in the Carolinas.

Business career After mustering out, Strong moved to Chicago and became involved with the business interests of former Chicago mayor William B. Ogden. He was hired as superintendent of the Peshtigo Lumber Works, and shortly after married one of Ogden's nieces. Strong later became president of the Peshtigo works, and at the time of William Ogden's death, in 1877, Strong inherited Ogden's entire ownership stake in the business. Strong also served for more than a decade in the Illinois National Guard as inspector general.

During 1860s and 1870s, Ogden had also worked through the Wisconsin Legislature and U.S. Congress laws to establish a shipping canal through Door County, Wisconsin. That operation was formalized in the 1870s as the Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan Ship Canal and Harbor company, with Strong serving as the treasurer of the company. Strong remained as treasurer of the company through the completion of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, and by then also inherited Ogden's ownership stake and board seat.

Strong was also very active in civic affairs in Chicago, and was a member of the board of trustees for the establishment of the Ulysses S. Grant Monument.

In 1890, Strong became a member of the board of the World's Columbian Exposition, preparing for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Strong traveled to Italy in 1891, and died in the city of Florence on April 10, 1891.

William studied law under his first cousin Marshall Strong, who was a prominent pioneer of Racine, Wisconsin, and served as president of the council of the Wisconsin Territory.

William Strong married Mary Bostwick Ogden on April 25, 1867; Strong had previously officiated and Hickenlooper's wedding earlier that year.

William and Mary Strong had four children together, though one died young.

Published works