Title: James A. Stone Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1886-1945

Creator:

• Stone, James A., 1856-1946

Call Number: Wis Mss OR

Quantity: 8.0 c.f. (35 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Personal, business, and political papers of James A. Stone, a Reedsburg, Wis. attorney who was active in the Wisconsin progressive movement, particularly in Sauk County. Throughout his active political career Stone maintained an correspondence with Wisconsin congressmen, notably John J. Esch, Merlin Hull, Paul O. Husting, A. W. Kopp, and Irvine L. Lenroot; members of the La Follette family; and national political figures. Stone was an active supporter of Robert La Follette and served as assistant secretary of state during his governorship, 1901-1903. Much of the business correspondence, 1892-1907, relates to Stone's law practice. It affords a view of the small town lawyer's activities, with emphasis on debt collection and land cases. Stone was also secretary of the Reedsburg Canning Company, member of the board of directors of the Harley-Davidson Company, and an investor in the Milwaukee Lead and Zinc Mining Company. Some correspondence relating to these business interests is included in the collection. Other letters document Stone's numerous educational and other civic activities in Reedsburg and his real estate investments.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000or

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James Asahel Stone was born in Smithfield, Madison County, New York in 1856. His father died in a Civil War prison in Macon, Georgia in 1864. After attending Evans Academy, a private institution at Peterboro until he was thirteen, James came to Reedsburg with his family, where he continued his schooling. In 1875, he entered the University of Wisconsin but found his funds inadequate, so he left and taught school in Reedsburg during the winter months, supplementing his earnings with farm work during the summer. He saved his money and in 1881 again entered the University where he remained for two years, after which he entered the law office of Giles Stevens and later that of E. R. Perry, where he remained until he was admitted to the bar in 1889. Early in his profession he became more than moderately successful and identified himself with the progressive wing of the Republican Party.

Although Mr, Stone aided many men to gain political offices, he was never very successful in obtaining positions for himself. In 1897 he was defeated as judge of Sauk County; in 1900 Evan Evans won against him as Sergeant of the Assembly; from 1901 to 1903 he was Assistant Secretary of State, but found the salary inadequate, so he resigned; in 1904 he opposed J. W. Babcock for Congress, was again defeated, and when he considered trying for the position of Secretary of State, he wrote a friend on February 15, 1905, “My experience in politics is such as to make me feel that it is hardly worth the powder from a personal standpoint. The position I wish to occupy is one which can be so used as to help shape public sentiment and advance our principles without reference to the candidacy of any individual.” The next office he held was Federal Prohibition Director of Wisconsin from July 1921 to December 1922, resigning because he felt there was too much graft and corruption within the department. In 1928 he applied for a position on the Board of Control but was again unsuccessful. Despite defeat and disappointments, he retained his interest in politics and corresponded with all of the governors, many lieutenant-governors, senators, and congressmen of Wisconsin and elsewhere until his death in 1946. The value of the collection is, no doubt, to be found in this correspondence with important political figures of the times.

As a charter member of the Progressive Party, Mr. Stone was a great friend and admirer of the La Follette family, particularly Robert M., Sr. In 1898 letters between the two men begin to appear and continue until La Follette's death in 1925. He corresponded also with Mrs. La Follette, Robert M., Jr., and Philip. Although there are some personal and family letters, the bulk of the La Follette correspondence concerns important issues of the day. He worked with Robert, Sr. to eliminate the free pass system used so freely by railroads to gain political favors; they discussed the benefits of the primary election, free text books for schools, widows' pensions, woman suffrage (Mrs. La Follette was very interested in this subject), and other timely subjects. In 1912 La Follette telegraphed the attorney to inquire if he would go on a lecture tour in North Dakota. Stone accepted and delivered many political speeches throughout that state. The same year he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago and kept the records of that meeting in a volume that is filed in Box 20 of the collection. Because of his friendship with La Follette, in 1916 he again was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.

On the Volstead Act and Eighteenth Amendment the two men differed. La Follette believed that no man had the right to tell another what he might eat or drink, while Stone was a member of the Anti-Saloon League for many years and Federal Prohibition Director of Wisconsin. When La Follette opposed the United States' entrance into World War I, like many other men, Stone broke with his friend and wrote letters opposing the stand he had taken. However, after the Armistice was signed, the two men again became friendly and letters, although less frequently exchanged, were cordial.

In 1925 after the Senator`s death, Stone thought Mrs. La Follette the best qualified person to fill the unexpired term of her husband and wrote her to that effect but she was not interested. Later, both sons received his endorsement, the elder for United States Senator, the younger for Governor of Wisconsin.

Not only was the Reedsburg attorney interested in politics, but he was active in furthering the interests of education in Sauk County. He donated the land in Reedsburg to erect the Sauk County Normal school and served as President of the county school board for thirty-one years, procuring the best teachers to be found; for two terms he was City Superintendent of Schools and for three years he was a member of the board of education. He aided in establishing the Free Public Library of Reedsburg and was a member of the board of directors. City attorney and alderman were other positions he held and letters concerning all of these phases of his life are to be found in abundance in the correspondence.

During his declining years, although often bedridden, his interest in current events never lessened. On January 3, 1938, Stone wrote to Senator Norris protesting Japanese aggression in China and favoring increased naval appropriations to prevent war. But when war was declared, he did what he could to aid his country and wrote articles to Mr. Evjue and other editors expressing his views concerning issues of importance, some of which were published in the Capital Times and other papers.

The James A. Stone Papers consist of personal, business, and political correspondence, letter books, and miscellaneous material including articles and addresses. No attempt was made to classify the collection according to subject. The business and political papers are filed together chronologically. The first few years consist mainly of letters, bills, etc. concerning his law practice, but from 1897, when Stone was a candidate for the office of judge of Sauk County until the end, many letters are to be found concerning the political situation, primarily in Wisconsin.

The business papers are a rather heterogeneous lot. They consist of representative letters concerning his law practice, real estate transactions, and various other enterprises. As a real estate dealer, Stone not only bought and sold farms but operated some of them himself. A farmer at heart, he was not disappointed when his only son, Riley, chose to live in the country, and many letters are exchanged between father and son concerning farm commodities, prices of land, etc. One gets a fair sense of the times by reading the family correspondence in this collection. Bills and receipts, together with twelve letter books (1892-1907) give an estimate of the extent of business transacted.

In 1903 reports, correspondence, and bills concerning the Milwaukee Zinc and Lead Mining Company and its successor, the Crawford Mining Company of Hazel Green, begin to appear. Frances E. McGovern and Stone were officers in these unfortunate enterprises and it was in this connection that they became well acquainted. Several letters from McGovern are found during this period and the stockholders comprised many men of importance including Paul S. Reinsch, Alfred T. Rogers, and others. One gets a first-hand account of the mining interests and how mines were operated shortly after the turn of the century.

Another business interest was the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company, of which Stone was a stockholder. When motorcycles were in their infancy he became interested in the machines, ordered all the literature he heard of, and studied the various models. He purchased one of the numbers the Harley-Davidson Company featured and learned to ride. He became so enthusiastic that he later invested money in the enterprise.

As secretary of the Reedsburg Canning Company, Stone had considerable responsibility and carried on correspondence with stockholders, officers, and people interested in investing, as well as withdrawing their funds. A summary, 1936, giving the history of the company is filed in Box 28 of the Correspondence.

In 1936 the Sauk County Historical Society was bequeathed some money to purchase a building in which to store its records. The Ringling home in Baraboo was considered to be a suitable place, and since the Ringling family was interested in disposing of the large house at a moderate price, Stone corresponded with members of the Ringling family including John, Mrs. Albert Ringling, and Ida Ringling North. Because there was a question concerning the immediate release of the funds the Historical Society inherited, the house was sold to the Elks Club of Baraboo for a very nominal figure. The correspondence concerning this matter is filed in Box 28 of the collection.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. James A. Stone, Reedsburg, Wisconsin, June 1947. Seven letters (interfiled in the Correspondence) and an obituary (filed in Box 29) were separated from Richard T. Ely Papers presented by E.W. Morehouse in 1965 and added to this collection in 1978.

	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1-3	1892, June 20 - 1897, March
Box   2 Folder   1-5	1897, April - 1898, August 4
Box   3 Folder   1-5	1898, August 5 - December 7
Box   4 Folder   1-5	1898, December 8 - 1899, March
Box   5 Folder   1-4	1899, April - October
Box   6 Folder   1-4	1899, November - 1900, May
Box   7 Folder   1-3	1900, June - August 15
Box   8 Folder   1-4	1900, August 16 - November
Box   9 Folder   1-4	1900, December - 1901, May
Box   10 Folder   1-4	1901, June - 1902, July
Box   11 Folder   1-4	1902, August - 1903, August
Box   12 Folder   1-3	1903, September - 1904, February
Box   13 Folder   1-4	1904, March - December
Box   14 Folder   1-4	1905, January - 1906, April
Box   15 Folder   1-4	1906, May - December
Box   16 Folder   1-5	1907
Box   17 Folder   1-5	1908
Box   18 Folder   1-4	1909
Box   19 Folder   1-5	1910, January - 1912, May
Box   20 Folder   1-4	1912, June - 1915
Box   21 Folder   1-4	1916 - 1917
Box   22 Folder   1-4	1918 - 1923
Box   23 Folder   1-3	1924
Box   24 Folder   1-4	1925, January - 1926, April
Box   25 Folder   1-4	1926, May - 1927, June
Box   26 Folder   1-5	1927, July - 1930
Box   27 Folder   1-5	1931 - 1934, June
Box   28 Folder   1-4	1934, July - 1937
Box   29 Folder   1-5	1938 - 1945; undated
Box   29 Folder   6	Series: Miscellaneous (articles, addresses, etc.)	⇧
	Series: Letter Books	⇧
Box   30 Folder   1	1892, January 6 - 1894, April 7
Box   31 Folder   1	1894, April 7 - 1895, March 9
Box   31 Folder   2	1895, April 13 - 1896, January 2
Box   31 Folder   3	1896, January 4 - 1897, September 3
Box   32 Folder   1	1897, September 4 - 1898, February 28
Box   32 Folder   2	1898, February 28 - 1899, February 21
Box   33 Folder   1	1899, February 21 - 1899, December 21
Box   33 Folder   2	1899, December 22 - 1900, December 15
Box   34 Folder   1	1900, December 15 - 1901, August 31
Box   34 Folder   2	1901, September 3 - 1902, November 25
Box   35 Folder   1	1902, November 26 - 1906, March 17
Box   35 Folder   2	1906, March 17 - 1907, December 7