William John McCoy

William J. McCoy
Portrait from History of Grant County Wisconsin (1900)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Grant 2nd district
In office
January 1, 1883 – January 3, 1887
Preceded byDaniel Bartlett Stevens
Succeeded byReuben B. Showalter
In office
January 7, 1878 – January 6, 1879
Preceded byJoseph Bock
Succeeded byJoseph Trotter Mills
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Grant 4th district
In office
January 3, 1876 – January 1, 1877
Preceded byDelos Abrams
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Personal details
Born(1834-09-30)September 30, 1834
Argyle, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 28, 1897(1897-06-28) (aged 62)
Lancaster, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeBeetown Cemetery, Beetown, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Julia Edwards
(m. 1858⁠–⁠1897)

William John McCoy (September 30, 1834 – June 28, 1897) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Grant County.

Biography[edit]

McCoy was born on September 30, 1834, in Argyle, New York.[1][2] He moved to Beetown, Wisconsin, in 1852 and to Lancaster, Wisconsin, in 1880.[1] McCoy died on June 28, 1897.[1]

Career[edit]

McCoy was elected to the Assembly in 1875 and served four terms.[1] Additionally, he was Chairman of the Beetown Board for five years between 1869 and 1876. He was a Democrat.[2]

Electoral history[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly (1875)[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 4th District Election, 1875[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1875
Democratic William J. McCoy 735 55.06% +12.72%
Republican John Brackett 600 44.94%
Plurality 135 10.11% -5.22%
Total votes 1,335 100.0% -0.67%
Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin Assembly (1877)[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1877[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1877
Democratic William J. McCoy 922 45.92% +0.56%
Republican William B. Clark 721 35.91% -16.94%
Greenback Goodpel Lamson 365 18.18% +16.38%
Plurality 201 10.01% +2.52%
Total votes 2,008 100.0% -24.79%
Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin Assembly (1882, 1884, 1886)[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1882[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 7, 1882
Democratic William J. McCoy 1,335 61.24% +20.52%
Republican Daniel B. Stevens (incumbent) 795 36.47% -20.69%
Greenback Goodpel Lamson 50 2.29% +0.17%
Plurality 540 24.77% +8.34%
Total votes 2,180 100.0% +54.39%
Democratic gain from Republican
Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1884[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1884
Democratic William J. McCoy (incumbent) 1,333 50.34% -10.90%
Republican Charles H. Baxter 1,235 46.64% +10.17%
Prohibition Ezra Abrams 80 3.02% +0.17%
Plurality 98 3.70% -21.07%
Total votes 2,648 100.0% +21.47%
Democratic hold
Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1886[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1886
Republican Reuben B. Showalter 1,133 47.01% +0.37%
Democratic William J. McCoy (incumbent) 1,111 46.10% -4.24%
Prohibition Andrew Cairns 166 6.89% +3.87%
Plurality 22 0.91% -2.79%
Total votes 2,410 100.0% -8.99%
Republican gain from Democratic

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Wisconsin Items: W. J. McCoy". The Weekly Wisconsin. July 3, 1897. p. 4. Retrieved May 7, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b c Bashford, R. M., ed. (1876). "Official Directory" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 467. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  3. ^ Bashford, R. M., ed. (1878). "Official Directory" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 470–471. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Heg, James E., ed. (1883). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 491. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  5. ^ Heg, James E., ed. (1885). "Biographical" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 431. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Timme, Ernst G., ed. (1887). "Biographical" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 498. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

External links[edit]

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Delos Abrams
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Grant 4th district
January 3, 1876 – January 1, 1877
District abolished
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Grant 2nd district
January 7, 1878 – January 6, 1879
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Grant 2nd district
January 1, 1883 – January 3, 1887
Succeeded by