John Strange (Wisconsin politician)

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 21, 1852 Oakfield Fond du Lac County Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 28, 1923 (aged 70) Neenah Winnebago County Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery Neenah Winnebago County Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mary Margaret McGregor Strange
Children	Katherine Strange McMillan Ethel M. Strange McLaughlin Hugh McGregor Strange John Paul Strange
Parents	Thomas Strange Martha Dixon Strange
Profession	Merchant Politician
Religion	Presbyterian

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

Early life

Strange was born in Oakfield, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin on June 27, 1852. 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,^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[3][4]

During World War I, Strange, who was a supporter of Prohibition, gave a speech denouncing Wisconsin's German brewers and linking them to the USA's wartime enemies, saying, "...the worst of all our German enemies, the most treacherous, the most menacing, are Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller."^[5]

Death

Strange died on May 28, 1923 in Neenah Winnebago County, Wisconsin. He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah, Wisconsin.^[6]

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.^[7]

References

1. Menasha Press (Menasha, Wis.), University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center. Semi-centennial Souvenir Edition of the Menasha Press. The Press, 1898. p. 57. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
2. Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin Blue Book. Wisconsin. p. 1088. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
3. "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. July 2005. p. 31. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
4. "John Strange". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
5. Maureen Ogle (2006), Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, Harcourt, 173.
6. "John Strange". Neena, Wisconsin. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
7. Leonard, John W. 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 16 June 2014.

External links

• Wisconsin Blue Book