John W. Reynolds Sr.

John W. Reynolds Sr.
26th Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office
January 3, 1927 – January 2, 1933
Governor
Preceded byHerman L. Ekern
Succeeded byJames E. Finnegan
District Attorney of Brown County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1907 – January 1, 1911
Preceded byJohn A. Kittell
Succeeded byMorton E. Davis
Personal details
BornJohn Whitcome Reynolds
(1876-10-01)October 1, 1876
Jacksonport, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 1958(1958-02-04) (aged 81)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeAllouez Catholic Cemetery And Chapel Mausoleum, Green Bay
PartyRepublican
Spouses
  • Madge Flately
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1906; died 1937)​
  • Florence Frances Clarke
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1939⁠–⁠1958)​
Children
Parents
RelativesCharles Reynolds (uncle)

John Whitcome Reynolds Sr. (October 1, 1876 – February 4, 1958) was an American lawyer and progressive Republican politician from northeast Wisconsin. He was the 26th attorney general of Wisconsin, serving from 1927 to 1933; while serving as attorney general, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court in the 1930 and 1931. Earlier in his career, he served as district attorney of Brown County, Wisconsin, and was chairman of the Brown County Republican Party.[1][2]

Reynolds had several notable relatives. His father and uncle, Thomas and Charles Reynolds, served in the Wisconsin State Assembly; his son John W. Reynolds Jr. became the 34th attorney general of Wisconsin, 36th governor of Wisconsin, and a federal district court judge.

Early life

John W. Reynolds was born on his family's farm in Jacksonport, in Door County, Wisconsin, the son of Jennie (Foley) and Thomas Reynolds.[3] After completing his primary education, he taught school for several years in Door County, then worked as a traveling book salesman throughout northeast Wisconsin while saving money for college. He continued to work as a traveling book salesman in the summers while attending the University of Michigan. He later claimed that his sales trips took him to nearly every farm in Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Columbia, northern Outagamie, and southern Shawano counties.[4]

He first heard a speech from then-former U.S. representative Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette in 1898, while at school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while he was advocating for the implementation of primary elections to replace the old conventional nominating system. After completing his college studies, Reynolds immediately entered the University of Wisconsin Law School, finishing his education in 1902. He was admitted to the bar and worked briefly at a law practice in Ashland, Wisconsin, before returning to Green Bay and partnering with Robert A. Kaftan—a friend he met at while attending the University of Wisconsin Law School who would be his partner on and off for the next 20 years.[4] Green Bay remained Reynolds' home for the rest of his life.

Political career

Reynolds began actively participating in politics in 1904, when he gave speeches in favor of the re-election of then-governor Robert La Follette, who by then was also the leader of the progressive faction in the Republican Party of Wisconsin.[4]

In 1906, Reynolds made his first run for elected office, running for Brown County district attorney on the Republican Party ticket. He faced a crowded primary but prevailed, and went on to win the general election; he was re-elected in 1908. In 1910, Reynolds was accused of taking improper fees as district attorney. After an investigation, the county board exonerated him, finding that the fees were legitimately collected.[5] Nevertheless, Reynolds lost his bid for re-nomination in 1910.[6]

Reynolds increased his political activity after leaving office, and, in 1912, he was elected chairman of the Brown County Republican Party.[7]

Wisconsin's 9th congressional district 1912–1931

In 1914, he entered the race for U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 9th congressional district, which then comprised roughly the northeast quadrant of the state. As the lone progressive in the Republican primary, Reynolds defeated his two conservative opponents.[8] Despite a strong national environment for the Republican Party, however, Reynolds fell short of Democratic incumbent Thomas F. Konop in the general election, receiving just 44% of the vote.

There was an effort by Wisconsin Republicans to persuade Reynolds to run again in 1916, but he declined. In the fall, Reynolds received an in-person visit from Senator La Follette during a Reynolds family vacation in Door County, as La Follette was contemplating a break with the Republican Party over the nomination of Charles Evans Hughes for president.[9]

Over the next several years, Reynolds focused on his legal practice; during those years, he served as defense counsel in several high profile criminal trials, including appearances before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But Reynolds remained involved in civic and political affairs, serving as chairman of the county Red Cross during the American involvement in World War I, and holding public speeches and debates arguing against the United States joining the League of Nations.[10]

In the 1920s, Reynolds began resuming more active political engagement, and was elected to another term as chairman of the Brown County Republicans. In 1924, he was elected a delegate to the 1924 Republican National Convention, supporting the presidential ambitions of Wisconsin's U.S. senator Robert La Follette.[11] When the Republicans instead re-nominated Calvin Coolidge, Reynolds joined La Follette's 3rd party presidential campaign on the Progressive ticket. Reynolds was named to La Follette's slate of presidential electors in Wisconsin, and since La Follette won the state of Wisconsin in the general election, Reynolds was able to cast his vote for La Follette in the 1924 electoral college.[12][13] When Senator La Follette died the following year, Reynolds was selected as an honorary pallbearer at the funeral.[14]

Attorney general terms (1926–1931)

In April 1926, Reynolds announced that he would seek the Republican Party nomination for attorney general of Wisconsin, running as a progressive and touting his years of friendship with La Follette.[4] Reynolds faced two opponents in the Republican primary, Albert Twesme and George M. Sheldon, but prevailed by a wide margin, receiving a true majority of all the votes cast. Reynolds' would-be Democratic opponent, David Gardner Jr., was disqualified from the receiving the official Democratic Party nomination because he failed to secure enough votes in the primary election—he faced no opponent in the primary and fell about 50 votes short of the 15,725 vote threshold.[15] Gardner did then run as an independent Democrat, but was unable to mount a serious campaign. Reynolds cruised to election with more than 85% of the vote.[16]

An early flash-point in Reynolds' term as attorney general occurred over his attempt to appoint his predecessor, Herman Ekern, to continue representing the state in a lawsuit to prevent the city of Chicago from diverting a large amount of Lake Michigan water for sanitation. In addition to having served as attorney general, Ekern had been the progressive candidate for governor of Wisconsin in 1926, but lost the Republican nomination to Fred R. Zimmerman. Zimmerman refused to authorize payment for Ekern to serve as special counsel; Ekern ultimately volunteered to serve without pay, and Reynolds accepted.[17]

Reynolds was also drawn into an early feud between Zimmerman and the state adjutant general, Ralph Immell—another progressive political operative who had been appointed by the previous progressive governor. Zimmerman attempted to find a rationale to remove Immell from office, and sought a legal opinion from Reynolds on whether Immell held the legal qualifications for the office of adjutant general. Reynolds' opinion endorsed Immell's qualifications, and all but ended the attempts to remove him from office.[18]

In the midst of Prohibition in the United States, Reynolds also used his office to offer the legal opinion that alcohol was fully legal in the privacy of the home, as long as the home was not being used as a business. His office further opined that wine and beer were exempt from prohibitions on possessing "intoxicating liquor" in public. These opinions were well received in Wisconsin, where prohibition was already extremely unpopular.[19]

Reynolds faced competitive Republican primaries in both of his re-election campaigns, but prevailed by a comfortable margin in both elections. General elections were less competitive, and Reynolds secured more than two thirds of the general election vote in both of his re-election campaigns.[20][21]

During his second term as attorney general, a vacancy occurred on the Wisconsin Supreme Court due to the death of Chief Justice Aad J. Vinje. The conservative governor, Walter J. Kohler Sr., quickly appointed veteran circuit court judge Chester A. Fowler to hold the seat on an interim basis. Reynolds almost immediately announced that he would challenge Fowler in the 1930 special election to fill the remainder of the term.[22] Reynolds' candidacy was not initially well-received by progressive leaders in the state, who had been preparing for Herman Ekern to run in this election against Fowler.[23] Ekern ultimately bowed out and the progressive organization grudgingly coalesced around Reynolds.

Reynolds path to the Supreme Court was further complicated by the entrance of populist lawyer Raymond J. Cannon, a former professional baseball player who had made a name as a lawyer representing players in the Black Sox Scandal and had then been part of an effort to organize a baseball players union; just months before declaring his candidacy, Cannon had been disbarred in Wisconsin for unethical client solicitation tactics. Cannon ultimately drew 20% of the vote in the April 1930 election, and Reynolds fell 14,000 votes short of unseating Fowler.[21]

Reynolds challenged Fowler again in the regular Supreme Court election in 1931, but lost again by a similar margin.[24]

Later years

Reynolds refused to run for a fourth term as attorney general in 1932, and returned to his law practice in Green Bay. He founded a new legal partnership with his son, John Jr.[25]

He continued practicing law nearly up to the day of his death. He died at his home in Green Bay, on February 4, 1958, after a brief illness; at the time of his death, he was the oldest active member of the Brown County bar.[25]

Personal life and family

John Reynolds Sr. was one of at 10 children born to Irish American immigrant Thomas Reynolds (1839–1919) and his first-generation Irish American wife, Jane (née Foley; 1852–1922). Thomas Reynolds and his brother, Charles Reynolds, both served in the Wisconsin State Assembly in the early 20th century.

John Reynolds Sr. married twice. His first wife was Madge Flatley, another child of Irish immigrants; they married in Wisconsin in 1906 and had four children before Madge's death in 1937. Two years later, Reynolds married the widow Florence Frances Stehn (née Clarke), and became stepfather to her children.

John Reynolds' youngest biological child was John W. Reynolds Jr., who followed his father into the legal and political professions, serving as the 34th attorney general of Wisconsin, the 36th governor of Wisconsin, then serving the last 38 years of his life as a United States district judge.[26]

Electoral history

Wisconsin attorney general (1926, 1928, 1930)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1926[16] Primary Sep. 7 John W. Reynolds Republican 201,342 53.57% George M. Sheldon Rep. 96,697 25.73% 375,853 104,645
Albert T. Twesme Rep. 77,814 20.70%
General Nov. 2 John W. Reynolds Republican 389,519 85.53% Ben W. Reynolds Soc. 35,066 7.70% 455,404 354,453
David Gardner Jr. Ind.D. 18,888 4.15%
Burton S. Hawley Proh. 11,931 2.62%
1928[20] Primary Sep. 4 John W. Reynolds (inc) Republican 221,540 52.05% Edward L. Kelley Rep. 118,746 27.90% 425,634 102,794
George M. Sheldon Rep. 85,254 20.03%
General Nov. 6 John W. Reynolds (inc) Republican 598,730 68.29% John J. Boyle Dem. 234,779 26.78% 876,792 363,951
George Mensing Soc. 36,028 4.11%
Burton S. Hawley Proh. 7,244 0.83%
1930[21] Primary Sep. 16 John W. Reynolds (inc) Republican 258,469 45.55% Michael Eberlein Rep. 175,147 30.86% 567,469 83,322
Alvin C. Reis Rep. 133,739 23.57%
General Nov. 4 John W. Reynolds (inc) Republican 375,616 68.09% John J. Boyle Dem. 125,315 22.72% 551,608 250,301
Glenn P. Turner Soc. 35,169 6.38%
Burton S. Hawley Proh. 12,636 2.29%
William Martilla Com. 2,827 0.51%

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1930, 1931)

1930 Wisconsin Supreme Court special election[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 1, 1930
Nonpartisan Chester A. Fowler (incumbent) 198,572 41.39%
Nonpartisan John W. Reynolds 184,317 38.42%
Nonpartisan Raymond J. Cannon 96,908 20.20%
Scattering 433 0.09%
Plurality 14,255 2.97%
Total votes 480,230 100.0%
1931 Wisconsin Supreme Court election[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1931
Nonpartisan Chester A. Fowler (incumbent) 254,534 46.87% +5.52pp
Nonpartisan John W. Reynolds 230,902 42.52% +4.14pp
Nonpartisan George L. Mensing 57,590 10.61%
Plurality 23,632 4.35% +1.38pp
Total votes 543,026 100.0% +13.08%

References

  1. ↑ "Former Wisconsin Officer Succumbs". The Rhinelander Daily News. February 5, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ↑ "WI Department of Justice". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  3. ↑ "The Political Graveyard: Moose, politicians, Wisconsin".
  4. 1 2 3 4 "John Reynolds Candidate for State Office". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 12, 1926. p. 7. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Reynolds Right Board Agrees". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 31, 1910. p. 9. Retrieved June 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Davis, Martin, Kolocheski Win". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 10, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Reynolds Elected G.O.P. Chairman". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 28, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved June 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Vote for Reynolds". Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 31, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved June 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "La Follette Mum as to Attitude Toward Hughes". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 25, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Martin and Reynolds are in Fine Fettle for that Debate on League of Nations Issue". Green Bay Press-Gazette. October 28, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Select Bob's Delegates to G.O.P. Meet". The Post-Crescent. January 26, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "wi.wibluebk1929.i0013.pdf" (PDF). UW-Madison Libraries. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Reynolds".
  14. ↑ "3 Green Bay Men are Honorary Pallbearers". Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 22, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Democratic Ticket is Assured of Place on General Election Ballot". Oshkosh Northwestern. September 21, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 "Elections Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1927. pp. 498, 577. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Herman the Magnanimous". Kenosha News. January 11, 1927. p. 6. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Immell's Job Secure, says Law Authority". Oshkosh Northwestern. March 2, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Upholds Right to Beer Possession". Wisconsin State Journal. March 24, 1927. p. 10. Retrieved June 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. 1 2 "Elections Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1929. pp. 740, 821. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. 1931. pp. 465, 471, 580. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Reynolds Will Oppose Fowler". Wisconsin State Journal. June 23, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Everett, Winter (July 21, 1929). "State Politics". La Crosse Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved June 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. 1 2 Witte, Edwin E.; Kelly, Alice, eds. (1933). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1933 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. p. 505. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "John Reynolds, Oldest Active Attorney, Dies". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 5, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Wolfgang Saxon, "John W. Reynolds, 80, Judge In Milwaukee School Integration, New York Times, January 12, 2008 at C18.
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