John Boyd (May 1, 1824 – July 2, 1882) was an Irish American immigrant, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented northern Fond du Lac County as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for four terms. He later served part of a term in the Kansas House of Representatives, but was unseated due to a dispute over his election.
John Boyd | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 64th district | |
| In office January 5, 1874 – February 13, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | T. B. Eldridge |
| Succeeded by | C. S. Brown |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Fond du Lac 3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Irenus K. Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Gerrit T. Thorn |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Fond du Lac 4th district | |
| In office January 1, 1862 – January 1, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | John W. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Samuel O'Hara |
| In office January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | O. Hugo Petters |
| Succeeded by | John W. Hall |
| In office January 1, 1855 – January 1, 1856 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas M. Donaldson |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Wagner |
| Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1861 – April 1862 | |
| Preceded by | George W. Sawyer |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Moore |
| In office April 1857 – April 1858 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas M. Donaldson |
| Succeeded by | William Plocker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1824 England, UK |
| Died | July 2, 1882 (aged 58) Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | married |
| Children | at least 1 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Thomas Boyd (brother) |
| Education | Trinity College Dublin |
| Profession | farmer |
Biography
editJohn Boyd was born in England on May 1, 1824, and graduated from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, in 1843.[1] He emigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings in 1844. The Boyd family settled at Calumet, in the Wisconsin Territory.[2]
Boyd became active with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and was elected to four terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly from the district comprising northeastern Fond du Lac County. He served in the 1855, 1860, 1862, and 1870 sessions.[3] In addition, he was a member of the Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors for nine years between 1854 and 1866, and was chairman for 1857 and 1861.[2]
After visiting his brothers-in-law in Kansas in 1871, he moved to Montgomery County, Kansas, with his wife and son, George.[4][5]
He was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1873, with an apparent margin of victory of just four votes.[6] His Republican opponent, C. S. Brown challenged the results of the election in the Kansas House Committee on Elections, alleging he had identified at least four illegal votes for Boyd. The House ultimately voted to grant the seat to Brown in February 1874, by a narrow vote.[6][7][8] He remained involved in Kansas politics and served as an officer of the state Grange and was active in the Greenback movement in the latter half of the 1870s.[9][10]
His health began to decline about 1880 and he returned to Wisconsin, hoping the environment would improve his health. After a year in Wisconsin, he returned to Kansas, feeling restored. Two months later, he began to fail again until finally, in June 1882, he decided to take another trip to Wisconsin. He died at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on July 2, 1882.[9]
Personal life and family
editJohn Boyd was a son of Thomas Boyd (1785–1862) and his wife Ann. Thomas Boyd was an Irishman who served in the British Army, he brought the family to America and purchased land in Calumet and Fond du Lac.[2] John Boyd had several brothers and sisters, many of his brothers also became notable in early Wisconsin—Thomas Boyd served in the State Assembly,[2] Samuel Boyd became a county judge, and Adam Boyd was a prominent real estate dealer and businessman in Fond du Lac.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Wisconsin State Government and State Institutions" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1870. p. 361. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1880. pp. 393, 1029. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ Barish, Lawrence S.; Lemanski, Lynn, eds. (2007). "Feature Article: Those Who Served - Wisconsin Legislators 1848–2007" (PDF). State of Wisconsin 2007–2008 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Personal–Mr. John Boyd". The Kansas Democrat. July 20, 1871. p. 5. Retrieved December 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF58-MKP : 14 July 2016), John Boyd, Fawn Creek, Montgomery, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 153, sheet 225C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0389; FHL microfilm 1,254,389.
- ^ a b Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kansas. Kansas Legislature. 1874. pp. 245, 401. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Liberal Republican and Democratic Convention". The Kansas Democrat. October 10, 1872. p. 4. Retrieved December 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Greenbackers". The Weekly Commonwealth. August 3, 1876. p. 4. Retrieved December 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Died–Hon. John Boyd". The Independence Kansan. July 12, 1882. p. 3. Retrieved February 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Farmers' Clubs". The Kansas Democrat. March 14, 1873. p. 5. Retrieved December 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Adam Boyd, an Early Lawrence Student, Died in Fond du Lac Saturday". The Post-Crescent. January 8, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved February 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
