Recent from talks
John Coit Spooner
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
John Coit Spooner
John Coit Spooner (January 6, 1843 – June 11, 1919) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Hudson, Wisconsin. He represented Wisconsin as a United States Senator from 1885 to 1891, then again from 1897 to 1907. In his latter stint, he was chairman of the powerful Senate Rules Committee and was considered one of the "Big Four" key Republicans in the Senate who largely controlled its major decisions, the others being Orville H. Platt of Connecticut, William B. Allison of Iowa, and Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island. He is possibly best known for the Spooner Act, which authorized the United States purchase of the Panama Canal Zone.
Politically, Spooner was a conservative (or stalwart) Republican and had a bitter rivalry for supremacy in Wisconsin Republican politics against his progressive Republican contemporary U.S. senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette.
Spooner was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on January 6, 1843, the son of Philip Loring Spooner and Lydia (Coit) Spooner. Philip Spooner was an attorney and judge and served on the bench in both Indiana and Wisconsin. Spooner moved with his parents to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1859. He attended the common schools and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Philosophiae Baccalaureus, or P.B.) degree in 1864. While in college, Spooner joined the Psi Upsilon fraternity and was admitted to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army as a private assigned to Company D, 40th Wisconsin Infantry, a three-month unit. After Spooner's 100 days of service were complete, he returned home and recruited a company from his college classmates, Company A, 50th Wisconsin Infantry, which he commanded as a captain. At the close of the war, Spooner received a brevet promotion to major.
After the war, Spooner served as private secretary to Wisconsin Governor Lucius Fairchild, and then the governor's military secretary with the rank of colonel He later served as quartermaster general of the Wisconsin Militia with the rank of brigadier general. He studied law with his father from 1865 to 1867, and he was admitted to the bar in 1867.
After becoming a lawyer, Spooner was appointed assistant attorney general of Wisconsin and he served from 1869 to 1870. In 1869, Spooner received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin. Spooner moved to Hudson in 1870, and practiced law there from 1870 to 1884. He established himself in the field of railroad and corporation law, and served as counsel for the West Wisconsin Railway and Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway.
Spooner was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1872. He was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents from 1882 to 1886.
He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate January 27, 1885, and served from 1885 to 1891, being defeated for re-election by William F. Vilas. He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims from 1886 to 1891.
Hub AI
John Coit Spooner AI simulator
(@John Coit Spooner_simulator)
John Coit Spooner
John Coit Spooner (January 6, 1843 – June 11, 1919) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Hudson, Wisconsin. He represented Wisconsin as a United States Senator from 1885 to 1891, then again from 1897 to 1907. In his latter stint, he was chairman of the powerful Senate Rules Committee and was considered one of the "Big Four" key Republicans in the Senate who largely controlled its major decisions, the others being Orville H. Platt of Connecticut, William B. Allison of Iowa, and Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island. He is possibly best known for the Spooner Act, which authorized the United States purchase of the Panama Canal Zone.
Politically, Spooner was a conservative (or stalwart) Republican and had a bitter rivalry for supremacy in Wisconsin Republican politics against his progressive Republican contemporary U.S. senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette.
Spooner was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on January 6, 1843, the son of Philip Loring Spooner and Lydia (Coit) Spooner. Philip Spooner was an attorney and judge and served on the bench in both Indiana and Wisconsin. Spooner moved with his parents to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1859. He attended the common schools and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Philosophiae Baccalaureus, or P.B.) degree in 1864. While in college, Spooner joined the Psi Upsilon fraternity and was admitted to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army as a private assigned to Company D, 40th Wisconsin Infantry, a three-month unit. After Spooner's 100 days of service were complete, he returned home and recruited a company from his college classmates, Company A, 50th Wisconsin Infantry, which he commanded as a captain. At the close of the war, Spooner received a brevet promotion to major.
After the war, Spooner served as private secretary to Wisconsin Governor Lucius Fairchild, and then the governor's military secretary with the rank of colonel He later served as quartermaster general of the Wisconsin Militia with the rank of brigadier general. He studied law with his father from 1865 to 1867, and he was admitted to the bar in 1867.
After becoming a lawyer, Spooner was appointed assistant attorney general of Wisconsin and he served from 1869 to 1870. In 1869, Spooner received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin. Spooner moved to Hudson in 1870, and practiced law there from 1870 to 1884. He established himself in the field of railroad and corporation law, and served as counsel for the West Wisconsin Railway and Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway.
Spooner was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1872. He was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents from 1882 to 1886.
He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate January 27, 1885, and served from 1885 to 1891, being defeated for re-election by William F. Vilas. He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims from 1886 to 1891.
Recent media