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John Bannister
John Bannister
4th Mayor of Beloit, Wisconsin
	In office; April 1860 – April 1861
Preceded by	S. J. Todd
Succeeded by	Charles H. Parker
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
	In office; January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1863
Preceded by	Anson W. Pope
Succeeded by	C. Mortimer Treat
Constituency	Rock 4th district
	In office; January 6, 1851 – January 5, 1852
Preceded by	John R. Briggs Jr.
Succeeded by	John Hackett
Constituency	Rock 2nd district
Personal details
Born	September 8, 1808; New York, U.S.
Died	January 3, 1888 (aged 79); San Diego, California, U.S.
Resting place	Wellsville Cemetery, Wellsville, Missouri
Political party	Republican; Democratic (before 1856);
Spouses	Temperance Simmons (m. 1830; died 1876); Sarah (before 1888);
Children	Drusilla Bannister; (b. 1832; died 1834); Elizabeth Bannister; (b. 1834); Drusilla (Morse); (b. 1837; died 1916); Virginia Bannister; (b. 1839; died 1858); John Bannister; (b. 1844; died 1920);
Relatives	Henry S. White (nephew)

John Bannister Sr. (September 8, 1808 – January 3, 1888) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 4th mayor of Beloit, Wisconsin, and represented Rock County in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1851 and 1862 terms. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican after that party was established in 1856.

Biography

John Bannister was born in the state of New York, lived for some time in Oneida County, New York, and came to the Wisconsin Territory about 1845, settling in Beloit.^[1]

He was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat in 1850, representing Rock County's 2nd Assembly district (then comprising the towns of Beloit, Turtle, and Clinton).^[2] During that legislative term, he was also one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Agricultural Society.^[3]

Bannister became a Republican shortly after that party was created in 1856, and by 1859 was president of the Rock County Republican Club. In that capacity, he hosted Abraham Lincoln to give a speech in Beloit on October 1, 1859, when Lincoln was not yet a candidate for president. Bannister forgot Lincoln's name when introducing him to the crowd.^[4]

The next year, Bannister was elected mayor of Beloit, running on the Republican ticket.^[5] The following year, after the start of the American Civil War, he won another term in the Assembly, running as a Union Republican candidate in what was then Rock County's 4th Assembly district (the city of Beloit, and the towns of Beloit and Turtle).^[1]

Personal life and family

John Bannister married Temperance Simmons in 1830; she was a daughter of Abraham Simmons of Phelps, New York. They had five children, though at least one died in childhood. Their only son, John Jr., served briefly in the 40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "Statistical List of the Assembly of 1862". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1862. p. 83. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
^ "Annals of the Legislature". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1882. p. 183. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
^ "State Agricultural Society". Wisconsin Express. March 20, 1851. p. 3. Retrieved May 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Burwell, Fred (November 29, 2012). "The "Illinois Orator"". Beloit College. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
^ "Mayor of Beloit". Janesville Gazette. April 6, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved May 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Fortieth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Report). Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 676. Retrieved May 22, 2024.

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by John R. Briggs Jr.	Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Rock 2nd district January 6, 1851 – January 5, 1852	Succeeded by John Hackett
Preceded by Anson W. Pope	Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Rock 4th district January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1863	Succeeded by C. Mortimer Treat
Political offices
Preceded by S. J. Todd	Mayor of Beloit, Wisconsin April 1860 – April 1861	Succeeded by Charles H. Parker