John Winans was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Janesville, Wisconsin.
22 Facts About John Winans
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John Winans served one term in the US House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district during the 48th Congress.
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John Winans then served as the 25th mayor of Janesville, from 1885 to 1889.
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John Winans studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1855.
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John Winans came to Wisconsin in 1857 and settled in Janesville, where he practiced his profession.
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John Winans served as member of the city council of Janesville in 1861, and as city attorney several times.
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John Winans served as delegate to the 1864 Democratic National Convention, and in 1868 was the Democratic nominee for Congress from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, against incumbent Republican Benjamin F Hopkins.
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John Winans was first elected to the State Assembly from Rock County's 5th Assembly district in 1873 as a member of the short-lived Reform Party, a coalition of Democrats, reform and Liberal Republicans, and Grangers formed in 1873, which secured the election for two years of William Robert Taylor as Governor of Wisconsin.
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John Winans received 741 votes to 633 for Republican incumbent Henry A Patterson, and was assigned to the standing committee on the judiciary, of which he was elected chairman.
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John Winans ran for re-election in 1874 under the "Democratic Reform" label, but was unseated by Republican Hiram Merrill, who drew 799 votes to 694 for Winans.
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John Winans served as a colonel on the staff of Governor Taylor in 1874 and 1875.
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John Winans returned to the judiciary committee, and was assigned to the committee on bills on the third reading.
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John Winans was selected by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1882 as one of the Commissioners to represent them in planning the expansion of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building.
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John Winans was not a candidate for renomination in 1884, since he was running for mayor of Janesville.
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John Winans was succeeded in Congress by Republican Lucien Caswell.
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John Winans was elected mayor of Janesville in April 1885 for a two-year term, over Republican Charles Valentine.
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John Winans was elected to the Assembly as a Democrat again in 1886, after being defeated in a run for the United States Senate by incumbent Republican Philetus Sawyer, who won the votes of 82 legislators, to 37 for Winans and six for Populist John Cochrane.
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John Winans was not a candidate for re-election in 1888, and was succeeded by Republican Cyrus Miner.
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John Winans was elected to the Assembly for the final time in 1890; the 2nd district no longer included the Town of Rock, but did include those of Center and Harmony.
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John Winans again became chair of the judiciary committee; and was on the joint committees on charitable and penal institutions, and on apportionment.
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John Winans ran for Assembly again in 1896, but was defeated by William G Wheeler, who had apprenticed in his law offices as a young man.
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John Winans continue to engage in the practice of law in Janesville, until his death on January 17,1907.