James H. Knowlton

James H. Knowlton
James H. Knowlton
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
	In office; January 1, 1858 – January 1, 1859
Preceded by	Ezra A. Foot
Succeeded by	William E. Wheeler
Constituency	Rock 3rd district
	In office; January 1, 1856 – January 1, 1857
Preceded by	Joseph White
Succeeded by	James Earnest
Constituency	Lafayette 3rd district
	In office; January 1, 1854 – January 1, 1855
Preceded by	Philemon Simpson
Succeeded by	A. A. Townsend
Constituency	Lafayette 2nd district
Personal details
Born	August 22, 1813; Canandaigua, New York
Died	January 29, 1879 (aged 65); Chicago, Illinois
Resting place	Evergreen Hill Cemetery, Middleton, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican (after 1854); Democratic (until 1854);
Spouse	Agnes Flanders (died 1886)
Relatives	Wiram Knowlton (brother)
Profession	lawyer, politician

James H. Knowlton (August 22, 1813 – January 29, 1879) was an American politician and lawyer. He served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His brother, Wiram Knowlton, was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Early life and career[edit]

Knowlton was born in Canandaigua, New York, in 1813.^[1] His brother and parents moved to the Wisconsin Territory in the 1830s, and he joined them at Janesville in 1838.^[2] He was there only briefly before moving to Mineral Point, and in 1847, he moved to Shullsburg, in Lafayette County.^[1] At Shullsburg he completed his legal studies, was admitted to the bar, and served as the first probate judge of the county.^[1]

Political career[edit]

He was a member of the legal team defending Judge Levi Hubbell during his 1853 impeachment, and later that year was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat. He was not reelected in 1854, but was returned to office again in 1856, this time as a Republican. Following the 1855 election, however, Knowlton became involved in Republican gubernatorial candidate Coles Bashford's legal challenge of the election results. Bashford ultimately prevailed and took office in March 1856.^[1]

After the 1856 legislative session, Knowlton moved back to Janesville, in Rock County, where he was elected to his third and final Assembly term in 1857.^[1]

In 1862, he was a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court but was not elected.^[1]

Later years[edit]

Knowlton moved to Chicago in 1865 and continued his law practice. He lost his entire library in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.^[1]

He died in 1879 after a long period of illness.^[1]

Personal life and family[edit]

Knowlton's brother, Wiram Knowlton, was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.^[3]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Berryman, John R. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper Jr. pp. 197–199. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
^ "Knowlton, James H. 1813 - 1879". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
^ "Knowlton, Wiram 1816 - 1963". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

[berry-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Berryman, John R. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper Jr. pp. 197–199. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

[wihist-2] "Knowlton, James H. 1813 - 1879". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

[3] "Knowlton, Wiram 1816 - 1963". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

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