Levi Withee

Levi Withee
Levi Withee
	Engraving by F. G. Kernan
Member of the Wisconsin Senate; from the 32nd district
	In office; January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1901
Preceded by	Hugh H. Price
Succeeded by	John C. Gaveney
Personal details
Born	October 26, 1834; Somerset County, Maine, U.S.
Died	February 2, 1910 (aged 75); La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Oak Grove Cemetery, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lovisa Smith (m. 1868)
Children	Abner G. Withee; (b. 1880; died 1954);
Relatives	Niran Withee (brother)

Levi Withee (October 26, 1834 – February 2, 1910) was an American lumberman, businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served eight years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing La Crosse County.

Biography

Withee was born on October 26, 1834, in Somerset County, Maine.^[1] He was raised on his father's farm and received a common school education.^[2] Upon reaching adulthood, he was tempted by the opportunities in the new western states and moved to Wisconsin. He arrived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1853 and went to work in the lumber industry.^[3] By 1859, he had enough earnings to begin his own business further north, in Clark County, Wisconsin.^[3]

He was an owner or shareholder in many lumber companies in western Wisconsin, but was principally involved in the company Bright & Withee. He was also invested in the Electric Light Plant, the Gas Light Company, and the La Crosse Farming Company.^[3]

Withee was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate on the Republican ticket in 1892 and was re-elected in 1896, serving from 1893 to 1901.^[2] He did not run for a third term in 1900, but was a delegate that year to the 1900 Republican National Convention. He was a stalwart Republican, always opposed to Robert La Follette's Progressive Republicans, and endorsed a primary challenge against La Follete in his 1902 gubernatorial re-election campaign.^[4]^[5]

Withee died from a stroke in 1910.^[1]

Personal life and family

Levi Withee was a son of Zachariah Withee and his wife Polly (née Longley). Zachariah Withee was a veteran of the War of 1812 and received land as a reward for his service. Levi Withee was the fifth of seven children.^[3] His older brother Niran Withee also worked as a lumberman in the La Crosse area and was a member of the Wisconsin Legislature.

On June 3, 1868, he married Louisa H. Smith.^[1] They had one son, Abner, who was also active in the lumber business in Wisconsin and Florida, and was appointed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Florida.^[6]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate, 32nd District Election, 1892^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 8, 1892
	Republican	Levi Withee	5,802	49.27%	−5.01%
	Democratic	George Y. Freeman	5,293	44.94%	+3.20%
	Populist	John N. Jones	644	5.47%
	Prohibition	C. H. Van Wormer	38	0.32%	−3.66%
Plurality			509	4.32%	-8.22%
Total votes			11,777	100.0%	-4.05%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate, 32nd District Election, 1896^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 3, 1896
	Republican	Levi Withee (incumbent)	9,545	66.82%	+17.56%
	Democratic	Herman E. Simpson	4,739	33.18%	−11.77%
Plurality			4,806	33.65%	+29.32%
Total votes			14,284	100.0%	+21.29%
	Republican hold