William Pitt Lynde

William Pitt Lynde (December 16, 1817 – December 18, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician from Wisconsin who served in the United States House of Representatives and as Mayor of Milwaukee.[1][2]

William P. Lynde
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district
In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879
Preceded by	Alexander Mitchell
Succeeded by	Peter V. Deuster
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district
In office June 5, 1848 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	District Established
Succeeded by	Charles Durkee
12th Mayor of Milwaukee
In office April 1860 – April 1861
Preceded by	Herman L. Page
Succeeded by	James S. Brown
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 5th district
In office January 1, 1869 – January 1, 1871
Preceded by	Henry L. Palmer
Succeeded by	Francis Huebschmann
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 2nd district
In office January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1867
Preceded by	David Knab
Succeeded by	Harrison Carroll Hobart
United States Attorney for the Wisconsin Territory
In office July 14, 1845 – June 6, 1848
President	James K. Polk
Preceded by	Thomas W. Sutherland
Succeeded by	Thomas W. Sutherland
4th Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory
In office 1844 – July 14, 1845
Governor	Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
Preceded by	Mortimer M. Jackson
Succeeded by	Mortimer M. Jackson
Personal details
Born	William Pitt Lynde December 16, 1817 Sherburne, New York
Died	December 18, 1885 (aged 68) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Resting place	Forest Home Cemetery Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Blanchard Lynde
Alma mater	Yale College, Harvard Law School
Occupation	Attorney

Biography

Lynde was born in Sherburne, New York. He graduated from Yale College, in 1838, and Harvard Law School, in 1841, and was admitted to the bar in New York. He moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, shortly thereafter, accompanied by his new wife, Mary.[3]

In 1842 he founded the law firm, Finch & Lynde, with his partner Asahel Finch, Jr. Finch & Lynde survives today as Foley & Lardner, one of the oldest and largest law firms in the country.

Lynde became Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory in 1844 and United States Attorney for Wisconsin in 1845.[4] He also served as president of the board of trustees of the Village of Milwaukee.

When Wisconsin was admitted as a state in 1848, Lynde was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, one of Wisconsin's first two representatives. He joined part of the 30th United States Congress from June 5, 1848, till March 3, 1849, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. He lost his reelection bid for the 31st Congress. He was also unsuccessful in the 1849 election for associate justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Gravesite in Forest Home Cemetery

Lynde served as Mayor of Milwaukee in 1860. His Wisconsin political career also led him to the state legislature; he served in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1866 and the State Senate in 1869 and 1870. He returned to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1875, where he served two full terms this time representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district as part of the 44th and 45th Congresses from March 4, 1875, till March 3, 1879.

Lynde died in 1885 in Milwaukee at age 68. He is interred in Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery.[5] His wife died in 1897 and was also interred there.

Electoral history

U.S. House (1848)

Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District Special Election, 1848[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Special Election, May 8, 1848
	Democratic	William Pitt Lynde	9,834	54.89%
	Whig	Edward V. Whiton	7,387	41.23%
	Liberty	Ichabod Cotting	696	3.88%
Plurality			2,447	13.66%
Total votes			17,917	100.0%
	Democratic win (new seat)

Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District Election, 1848[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 7, 1848
	Free Soil	Charles Durkee	5,038	38.49%
	Democratic	William Pitt Lynde (incumbent)	4,436	33.89%	-21.00%
	Whig	Asahel Finch, Jr.	3,615	27.62%
Plurality			602	4.60%
Total votes			13,089	100.0%	-26.95%
	Whig gain from Democratic

Milwaukee Mayor (1860)

Milwaukee Mayoral Election, 1860[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 3, 1860
	Democratic	William Pitt Lynde	4,532	55.90%
	Democratic	Otis H. Waldo	3,552	43.81%
		Scattering	24	0.30%
Plurality			980	12.09%
Total votes			8,108	100.0%
	Democratic hold

U.S. House (1874, 1876)

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1874[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 3, 1874
	Democratic	William Pitt Lynde	12,046	55.79%	-9.31%
	Republican	Harrison Ludington	9,545	44.21%
Plurality			2,501	11.58%
Total votes			21,591	100.0%	+5.83%
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1876[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 7, 1876
	Democratic	William Pitt Lynde (incumbent)	17,653	59.63%	+3.84%
	Republican	William E. Smith	11,952	40.37%
Plurality			5,701	19.26%	+7.67%
Total votes			29,605	100.0%	+37.12%
	Democratic hold

References

1. William Pitt Lynde, Wisconsin Historical Society
2. 'Proceedings of State Bar Association of Wisconsin,' Wisconsin State Bar Association: 1901, Biographical Sketch of William Lynde Pitt, vol. 3, pg. 313
3. Langill, Ellen D. (2003). "Speaking with an Equal Voice: The Reform Efforts of Milwaukee's Mary Blanchard Lynde". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 87 (1): 18–29. JSTOR 4637060.
4. Obituary Record of the Graduates of Yale College Deceased during the Academical Year ending on June 3, 1856, (PDF). 1856. p. 306.
5. "Historical People". Forest Home Cemetery. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
6. Wisconsin U.S. House Elections, 1848-2008 (PDF). Humphrey School of Public Affairs (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
7. "Official Vote in the City". The Daily Milwaukee News. April 8, 1860. Retrieved May 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• United States Congress. "William Pitt Lynde (id: L000538)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• William Pitt Lynde at Find a Grave