John James Blaine was the
24th GovernorThe Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
of
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and a United States Senator. He served as Mayor of Boscobel, on the Grant County Board of Supervisors, Wisconsin Attorney General, and in the Wisconsin State Senate. He was born in
WingvilleWingville is a town in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 394 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Centerville is located in the town.-Geography:...
,
Grant County, WisconsinGrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...
and died in
Boscobel, WisconsinBoscobel is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,047 at the 2000 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River. U.S. Route 61 crosses the Wisconsin River at Boscobel. To the south, the city is...
, where he was buried.
Blaine was the Republican Governor of Wisconsin from 1921 to 1927. In 1926, he defeated the Progressive Republican senator
Irvine LenrootIrvine Luther Lenroot was a member of the United States Republican Party who served in the House of Representatives from 1909 to 1918, and in the United States Senate from 1918 to 1927, for the state of Wisconsin. He was also Warren G...
in the primary, winning the general election with 55% of the vote against a weak Democratic candidate and strong Independent and Socialist Party candidates.
Blaine was the only senator to vote against ratification of the
Kellogg-Briand PactThe Kellogg–Briand Pact was an agreement signed on August 27, 1928, by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Weimar Germany and a number of other countries.The pact renounced war , prohibiting the use of war...
, which was approved 85-1. He is also the author of the
21st AmendmentThe Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition...
, which repealed the 18th Amendment, which had prohibited intoxicating liquors.
In 1932, Blaine was defeated in the Republican primary by John B. Chapple, who was then defeated in the general election by
F. Ryan DuffyFrancis Ryan Duffy was a member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1933 to 1939 and later a United States federal judge.-Biography:...
, as part of massive Democratic victories in the national elections that year.
External links
- Obituary "James J. Blaine, former US senator and governor", Fennimore Times, April 18, 1934.