Summary Information
John M. Whitehead Papers
1898-1925
- Whitehead, John M., 1852-1924
Wis Mss IF; Micro 1161
1.6 c.f. (4 archives boxes) and 4 reels of microfilm (35mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
The papers of a lawyer and Wisconsin state senator from Janesville consisting of correspondence, clippings, speeches, and other items divided into four categories: Biographical Papers, Correspondence, Subject Files, and Clippings. A large portion of the correspondence deals with state politics and provides a view of the opposition to Robert La Follette. There is also a good deal of material on the Congregational Church and the Wisconsin State Bar Association. Prominent correspondents include William Howard Taft and John D. Rockefeller. Related to this collection are the records of the First Congregational United Church of Christ-Janesville.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000if
Biography/History
John Meek Whitehead, lawyer and Wisconsin state senator from Janesville, was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, on July 29, 1852, the oldest of ten children of Jacob and Elizabeth Paisley Whitehead. His boyhood ambition was to graduate from Yale, and after attending Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, 1871-1872, and Williams Seminary, Easthampton, Massachusetts, 1872-1873, he succeeded in supporting himself through Yale, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1877.
Whitehead returned to Illinois and taught school in Ravenswood, a Chicago suburb, for one year before beginning his law studies in the Chicago office of Leaming and Thompson. After admission to the Illinois bar in 1880, he remained with the firm until 1883, when he moved to Janesville. There he joined Alexander E. Matheson in forming a law firm that lasted until Whitehead's death in 1924.
Whitehead was active throughout his life in politics, civic projects, the Young Men's Christian Association, and the Congregational Church. He was president of the Wisconsin State YMCA for twenty years. For forty years, he served as clerk of the First Congregational Church of Janesville and was intermittently a member of its board of trustees. He was moderator of the State Congregational Conference and was a member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the Congregational National Council, and its influential Committee of Nineteen. He was also president of the Wisconsin State Bar Association, 1921-1922, president of the Wisconsin branch of the League to Enforce Peace, and vice-president of the Wisconsin Peace Society.
Politically Whitehead was recognized as a leader of the stalwart or regular Republicans, and a lifelong opponent of Robert LaFollete. He was elected state senator in 1896 and held office until his voluntary retirement in 1912. In the senate, he was instrumental in achieving establishment of a state tax commission and was well known for his grasp of the legal implications and technicalities of proposed legislation. His interests also included history and proposed legislation establishing the Wisconsin Perry's Victory Centennial Commission, which worked with the national and other state commissions in commemorating events of the War of 1812. Whitehead was appointed a commission member in 1911 and its work became one of his chief interests until his death.
On July 12, 1881, Whitehead married Lavinia Fletcher Barrows. She died March 15, 1888, leaving two children, Philip B. and Dorothy May. On May 15, 1919, he married Juliet Claire Thorpe of Madison. Whitehead died following a stroke on August 31, 1924.
Scope and Content Note
The papers consist of correspondence, clippings, speeches, and other documentation, divided into four categories: Biographical Papers, Correspondence, Subject Files, and Clippings. Most is available in original paper form and all is available on microfilm.
The BIOGRAPHICAL PAPERS consist of a number of items from Whitehead's years at school and early years in Chicago, including grade reports; a ledger and other financial papers; a personal diary of a trip by train to California in 1888, shortly after his first wife's death; and a number of newspaper clippings relating to family members.
CORRESPONDENCE is the most extensive series in the collection. The early years, from 1877 to 1895, consist exclusively of family correspondence, mostly from his mother Elizabeth A. Whitehead, which is of biographical value. The later years, from 1898 to 1904, concern almost exclusively political topics, including Whitehead's years in the State Senate. This correspondence gives insight into the politics of the day, especially providing an opponent's view of Robert LaFollette. Prominent among the letters are two from William Howard Taft (November 15, 1920 and November 28, 1920) and one from John D. Rockefeller (December 26, 1922).
The SUBJECT FILE includes a number of files relating to organizations and activities in which Whitehead participated. The Congregational Church records contain documents concerning Whitehead's activities in Illinois and denominational affairs. The League to Enforce Peace papers relate to his activities within this organization. Perry's Victory Memorial Committee documents Whitehead's service to the committee, which commemorated the War of 1812. Political Topics is a small group of documents, including material about two assembly bills from 1897, papers concerned with the nomination of a new Janesville postmaster and erection of a new Janesville Public Building, and miscellaneous documents. The Speeches and Essays are a collection of speeches delivered by Whitehead at various public events, including Memorial Day and Independence Day celebrations. Of special interest here is a 1914 address in which Whitehead recounted his activities in the State Legislature from 1896 to 1912. The State Bar Association papers consist of minutes and correspondence and a constitution dated 1920.
The CLIPPINGS deal with a variety of subjects relating to Whitehead's family, activities, and politics. They are available only on microfilm.
Also included on the microfilm is a small group of PHOTOGRAPHS of Vincent Koch of Janesville and his wife. After filming, the original photographs were sent to the Society's Sound and Visual Archives for evaluation for retention. If retained, they will not be considered part of the Whitehead collection.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. Juliet T. Whitehead, Janesville, January, 1934; by Dorothy Whitehead Hough, Janesville, February 29, 1960; and with records of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Janesville, 1983. Accession Number: M60-32, M83-346
Processed by Karen J. Baumann, 1969. Revised by Martin O. Rostermundt (JESH), 1989.
Contents List
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Series: Biographical Papers
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School Papers,
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Reel-frame
1-001
Box-folder
1-1
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Tuition and Grade Reports, 1872-1873
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Reel-frame
1-009
Box-folder
1-2
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References from Yale, 1877
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Reel-frame
1-026
Box-folder
1-3
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Financial Papers, 1865-1880
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Reel-frame
1-045
Box-folder
1-4
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Diary of Train Trip to California, 1888
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Reel-frame
1-141
Box-folder
1-5
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Family Materials, 1887-1888
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Series: Correspondence
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Reel-frame
1-158
Box-folder
1-6,788
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Personal Correspondence, 1877-1889, 1894-1895
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Reel-frame
1-568
Box-folder
1-9
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From A. H. Sheldon, 1897
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General,
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Reel-frame
1-586
Box-folder
1-10
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1898, 1908-1916
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Reel-frame
1-698
Box-folder
1-11
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1917-1920
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Reel-frame
1-840
Box-folder
1-12
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1921-April 23, 1923
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Reel-frame
1-988
Box-folder
2-1
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April 24, 1923-December 23, 1923
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Reel-frame
2-001
Box-folder
2-2
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1924
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Series: Subject File
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Congregational Church,
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Reel-frame
2-132
Box-folder
2-3
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Chicago Congregational Club, 1890-1894
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First Congregational Church of Ravenswood, Illinois
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Reel-frame
2-245
Box-folder
2-485
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Sermons, n.d.
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Reel-frame
2-432
Box-folder
2-6
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Miscellaneous, 1876-1882
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Reel-frame
2-503
Box-folder
2-7
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National Congregational Council, 1889
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Reel-frame
2-551
Box-folder
2-8
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Miscellaneous, 1883, 1894, n.d.
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Reel-frame
2-566
Box-folder
2-9
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League to Enforce Peace, 1916
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Reel-frame
3-001
Box-folder
3-182
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Perry's Victory Memorial Commission, 1913-1924
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Political Topics,
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Reel-frame
3-854
Box-folder
3-3
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Assembly Bills, 1897
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Reel-frame
3-876
Box-folder
3-4
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New Public Building and Postmaster, Janesville, 1896-1897
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Reel-frame
3-889
Box-folder
3-5
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Miscellaneous, 1894
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Reel-frame
3-893
Box-folder
3-6
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Speeches and Essays, 1879-1891, 1914
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Reel-frame
3-1030
Box-folder
3-7
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State Bar Association of Wisconsin, 1920-1923
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Reel-frame
3-1088
Box-folder
4-1
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Whitehead's Activities in the legislature and with League to Enforce Peace, 1897-1913, an analysis, , 1914
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Reel-frame
4-001
Box-folder
4-2,384
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Miscellany, 1903, n.d.
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Reel-frame
4-330
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Series: Clippings
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Reel-frame
4-637
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Series: Photographs
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