Reuben May
Reuben May (June 23, 1815 – September 26, 1902) was a Union Army colonel from Kentucky in the American Civil War. Later he was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin.
Reuben May | |
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Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Vernon 1st district | |
In office January 1, 1872 – January 1, 1873 | |
Preceded by | Joseph W. Hoyt |
Succeeded by | Peter Jerman |
In office January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1871 | |
Preceded by | John M. McLees |
Succeeded by | Joseph W. Hoyt |
Personal details | |
Born | Reuben May June 23, 1815 Robinson Creek, Kentucky |
Died | September 26, 1902 87) Vernon County, Wisconsin | (aged
Resting place | Springville Cemetery Springville, Wisconsin |
Political party |
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Spouse(s) |
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Children |
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Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1864 |
Rank | Colonel, USV |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Biography
Born in Robinson Creek, Kentucky,[1] his family moved to Vernon County, Wisconsin, in 1863 while he was serving in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry in 1861, and briefly commanded the regiment. In 1863 he was appointed colonel of the 7th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, leading them through the Vicksburg campaign and mustering out of the service October 4, 1864.[2] Much of his family, however, remained in Kentucky and supported secession. His first cousin, Andrew Jackson May, was a colonel for the Confederate Army.[3]
Political career
May was a Republican member of the Assembly from Vernon County's 1st district in 1870 and 1872, losing election in between to represent the district in 1871. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin twice. First, in 1879 as a member of the Greenback Party, and second, in 1890 as a member of the Union Labor Party.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (1869, 1870, 1871)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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General Election, November 8, 1870 | |||||
Republican | Joseph W. Hoyt | 365 | 42.29% | ||
Independent Republican | Reuben May (incumbent) | 325 | 37.66% | ||
Democratic | John T. Brinkermann | 173 | 20.05% | ||
Total votes | '863' | '100.0%' | |||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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General Election, November 7, 1871 | |||||
Republican | Reuben May | 592 | 53.19% | ||
Independent | C. C. Oleson | 521 | 46.81% | ||
Total votes | '1,113' | '100.0%' | +28.97% | ||
Republican hold |
Wisconsin Governor (1879, 1890)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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General Election, November 4, 1879 | |||||
Republican | William E. Smith (incumbent) | 100,535 | 53.19% | +8.98% | |
Democratic | James Graham Jenkins | 75,030 | 39.70% | +0.13% | |
Greenback | Reuben May | 12,996 | 6.88% | -7.84% | |
Scattering | 444 | 0.23% | |||
Total votes | '189,005' | '100.0%' | +6.11% | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 1890 | |||||
Democratic | George Wilbur Peck | 160,388 | 51.86% | +8.05% | |
Republican | William D. Hoard (incumbent) | 132,068 | 42.71% | -6.83% | |
Prohibition | Charles Alexander | 11,246 | 3.64% | -0.42% | |
Labor | Reuben May | 5,447 | 1.76% | -0.83% | |
Scattering | 105 | 0.03% | |||
Total votes | '309,254' | '100.0%' | -12.82% | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
References
- "Reuben May". Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- "Col Reuben May". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- "Reuben May". Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- "Official directory". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 1871. pp. 384–385. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Turner, A. J., ed. (1872). "Official directory". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 458. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Warner, Hans B., ed. (1880). "Election statistics". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1880 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 270–271. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1891). "Part III. Election statistics". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 256–257. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
Party political offices | ||
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Preceded by Edward P. Allis |
Greenback nominee for Governor of Wisconsin 1879 |
Succeeded by Edward P. Allis |