John Strange (Wisconsin politician)

John Strange (June 27, 1852 – May 28, 1923) was an American politician and businessman and served as the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin.

John Strange
21st Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 4, 1909 – January 2, 1911
Governor	James O. Davidson
Preceded by	William D. Connor
Succeeded by	Thomas Morris
Personal details
Born	June 27, 1852 Oakfield, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 28, 1923 (aged 70) Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mary Margaret McGregor Strange
Children	4
Profession	Merchant Politician

Early life

Strange was born in Oakfield, Wisconsin on June 27, 1852.[1] As a boy, he attended the district schools part of the year and worked in various woodenware factories for part of the year.

Career

After attending Beloit College,[2] Strange was a schoolteacher in Rock County, Wisconsin, and Clinton County, Iowa, until 1871; then he was a grocery clerk in Minneapolis. He worked in powder, flour, and woodware mills and built and sold the first store in Dale, Outagamie County. He also managed a retail lumber yard for two years in Iowa.[3]

In 1899, Strange moved to Neenah, Wisconsin and established a sawmill in the nearby town of Menasha. He was elected the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 1908, and served one term, from 1909 until 1911.

After his term ended, Strange carried out a career in business; he was president of the John Strange Paper Company, the John Strange Pail Company and the Stevens Point Pulp and Paper Company, as well as the director of R. McMillian Company.[4][5][6]

During World War I, Strange, who was a supporter of Prohibition, gave a speech denouncing Wisconsin's German brewers and linking them to the United States's wartime enemies, saying, "the worst of all our German enemies, the most treacherous, the most menacing, are Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller."[7]

Death

Strange died unexpectedly on May 28, 1923 in Neenah, Wisconsin when he dropped dead while giving a speech at a Rotary dinner.[4][8] He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah, Wisconsin.[9]

Family life

The son of Thomas and Martha Dixon Strange, he married Mary Margaret McGregor on July 11, 1876 and they had two daughters, Katherine Strange McMillan and Ethel M. Strange McLaughlin; and two sons, Hugh McGregor Strange and John Paul Strange.[10]

References

1. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. XVI. James T. White & Company. 1918. pp. 193–194. Retrieved December 10, 2020 – via Google Books.
2. Menasha Press (Menasha, Wis.), University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center. Semi-centennial Souvenir Edition of the Menasha Press. The Press, 1898. p. 57. Retrieved June 16, 2014.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin Blue Book. Wisconsin. p. 1088. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
4. "John Strange Is Victim of Sudden Attack at Dinner". The Daily Tribune. May 29, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved February 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. July 2005. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
6. "John Strange". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
7. Maureen Ogle (2006), Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, Harcourt, 173.
8. "John Strange, Menasha Paper Maker, Is Dead". The Post-Crescent. May 28, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "John Strange". Neena, Wisconsin. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
10. Leonard, John W. (1915). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915. American commonwealth Company, 1914. p. 790. Retrieved June 16, 2014.

External links

• Wisconsin Blue Book