William D. Hoard
Encyclopedia
William Dempster Hoard was the 16th Governor of the U.S. state
of Wisconsin
from 1889 to 1891.
, he moved to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. During the American Civil War
, Hoard served in the 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment as a musician until he was discharged for medical reasons. He went back to New York to recovered and served briefly in the 1st New York Artillery Regiment. Returning to Wisconsin, he got involved with the hops
industry, but the glut and decline in the industry left him without money. He was a member of the Republican Party
, but was an outsider and an amateur in politics. He was a leading promoter of the dairy industry, through his weekly magazine Hoard's Dairyman
.
, the state's first compulsory school attendance law. It required all public and private schools to teach major subjects in English. The German Lutherans and Germans Catholics, who each had a large parochial school system that used German-speaking teachers, strenuously objected. Hoard made the extremely controversial law the centerpiece of his reelection campaign, rejecting the advice of professional politicians that it would doom the GOP. The law, and Hoard, were repudiated by the state's large German community. Hoard was defeated in an intense campaign by Democrat George Wilbur Peck
, the Yankee mayor of Milwaukee.
The Republican establishment was outraged at Hoard. In turn the moralistic rank and file bridled at the boss rule. Hoard joined forces with Robert M. LaFollette and created the Progressive faction of the state GOP. It propelled LaFollette to the governorship and the U.S. Senate, but Hoard, still an influential publisher, broke with La Follette in 1912.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin 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...
from 1889 to 1891.
Early life
Born in Stockbridge, New YorkStockbridge, New York
Stockbridge is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,080 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a group of Native Americans.The Town of Stockbridge is located on the eastern border of the county.- History :...
, he moved to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Hoard served in the 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment as a musician until he was discharged for medical reasons. He went back to New York to recovered and served briefly in the 1st New York Artillery Regiment. Returning to Wisconsin, he got involved with the hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
industry, but the glut and decline in the industry left him without money. He was a member of the Republican Party
History of the United States Republican Party
The United States Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States after its great rival, the Democratic Party. It emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous...
, but was an outsider and an amateur in politics. He was a leading promoter of the dairy industry, through his weekly magazine Hoard's Dairyman
Hoard's Dairyman
Hoard's Dairyman is an American magazine with international circulation. Known as the National Dairy Farm magazine, it contains articles about and for the dairy industry.-History:...
.
Governor of Wisconsin
In 1889, Hoard asked the legislature to pass the Bennett LawBennett Law
The Bennett Law was a very controversial state law passed in Wisconsin in 1889, that required the use of English to teach major subjects in all public and private elementary and high schools. It affected the state's many German-language private schools , and was bitterly resented by German-American...
, the state's first compulsory school attendance law. It required all public and private schools to teach major subjects in English. The German Lutherans and Germans Catholics, who each had a large parochial school system that used German-speaking teachers, strenuously objected. Hoard made the extremely controversial law the centerpiece of his reelection campaign, rejecting the advice of professional politicians that it would doom the GOP. The law, and Hoard, were repudiated by the state's large German community. Hoard was defeated in an intense campaign by Democrat George Wilbur Peck
George Wilbur Peck
George Wilbur Peck was an American writer and politician who served as the 17th Governor of Wisconsin.Peck was born in 1840 in Henderson, New York, the oldest of three children of David B. and Alzina P. Peck. In 1843, the family moved to Cold Spring, Wisconsin...
, the Yankee mayor of Milwaukee.
The Republican establishment was outraged at Hoard. In turn the moralistic rank and file bridled at the boss rule. Hoard joined forces with Robert M. LaFollette and created the Progressive faction of the state GOP. It propelled LaFollette to the governorship and the U.S. Senate, but Hoard, still an influential publisher, broke with La Follette in 1912.