S. Park Coon
2nd Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 1850 – January 5, 1852
GovernorNelson Dewey
Preceded byJames S. Brown
Succeeded byExperience Estabrook
District Attorney of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1863 – January 1, 1865
Preceded byJoshua Stark
Succeeded byJedd P. C. Cottrill
Personal details
Born(1820-03-28)March 28, 1820
Covington, New York
DiedOctober 12, 1883(1883-10-12) (aged 63)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cause of deathTuberculosis
Resting placeForest Home Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sarah Vincent
​
(m. 1844⁠–⁠1912)​
Children
  • Philip Vincent Coon
  • (b. 1844; died 1891)
  • Kate Coon
  • (b. 1848; died 1848)
  • Bessie Coon
  • (b. 1850; died 1851)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861
Rank Colonel, USV
Commands2nd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Squire Park Coon (March 28, 1820 – October 12, 1883) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 2nd Attorney General of Wisconsin and served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War.

Early life and career

Coon was born on March 28, 1820, in Covington, New York. He was educated at Alexander Academy and Norwich University and then studied law in New York.[1] In 1843, Coon moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, where he set up a legal practice.[2] He rose in prominence in the new state and, in 1849, he was elected the 2nd Attorney General of Wisconsin running on the Democratic ticket alongside incumbent Governor Nelson Dewey. After one term in office however, Coon announced that he would not be a candidate for renomination at the 1851 Democratic state convention.[3]

Coon continued to work as a lawyer in Milwaukee, but was one of several early Wisconsin politicians caught up in scandals related to misappropriations of state funds. For Coon, he was granted about $667 (about $19,000 adjusted for inflation to 2019) for collection of funds associated with canal mortgages.[4] Nevertheless, Coon remained a leading member of the Democratic Party in Milwaukee and was an outspoken supporter of Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 United States presidential election. He also undertook a years long unsuccessful crusade in the legislature and courts to secure relief for farmers who had mortgaged their land to aid in building railroads in the state.[5]: 544–545 

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, despite his politics, Coon was commissioned colonel of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment by Governor Alexander Randall.[1] The regiment was organized in May 1861 at Camp Randall, in Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into service June 11.[6]: 438  Colonel Coon led the regiment to Washington where they camped briefly on Meridian Hill. However, shortly after their arrival, Colonel Coon was removed from command and given an assignment by the War Department to oversee the mustering of additional Wisconsin regiments. Aside from the official explanation, there were other theories as to his dismissal, ranging from rumors about his alcoholism to allegations of Republicans in the War Department attempting to oust prominent Democrats from command positions.[7]

Nevertheless, when the Army marched toward battle on July 16, Colonel Coon requested to accompany them as a volunteer advisor to Colonel William Tecumseh Sherman, who commanded the brigade to which the 2nd Wisconsin was attached. Accounts of the First Battle of Bull Run, including remarks attributed to Colonel Sherman, describe that Colonel Coon briefly attempted to rally the regiment during the disorganized retreat from the Bull Run field, and may have managed to cover some of the retreat.[8][9]

Colonel Coon formally resigned from command of the 2nd Wisconsin on July 30, 1861, along with Lt. Colonel Peck, who had commanded the regiment on the Manassas campaign.[6]: 442  Although he was officially planning to raise a company of cavalry to join the new brigade being mustered under General Rufus King, he ultimately did not return to military service.[10]

Later years

Coon resumed his law practice in Milwaukee, and, in 1862, was elected district attorney for Milwaukee County.[5]: 535  Though he sought renomination for another term as district attorney, the Milwaukee county democrats instead nominated Jedd P. C. Cottrill.[11] Coon's legal career declined amidst worsening alcoholism. He was sustained through his later years by the charity of friends and former colleagues.[2][5]: 137 

He died of Tuberculosis on October 12, 1883, at Passavant hospital in Milwaukee.[5]: 137 

Personal life and family

Coon married Sarah Vincent and had at least three children, though their two daughters died as infants. At the time of his death, he was estranged from his family, with his wife having returned to New York and his son living in Chicago.[12][13]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General (1849)

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1849[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 5, 1968
Democratic S. Park Coon 17,079 53.55% -2.45%
Whig Moses B. Butterfield 10,981 34.43% -9.57%
Free Soil Marshall Strong 3,768 11.81%
Scattering 65 0.20%
Plurality 6,098 19.12% +7.12%
Total votes 31,893 100.0% +0.41%
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 Reed, Parker McCobb (1882). "Attorney Generals". The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Milwaukee: P. M. Reed. p. 184. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Berryman, John R. (1898). "S. Park Coon". History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 1. Chicago: H. C. Cooper Jr. pp. 442–443. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Democratic Nominations". Democratic State Register. Watertown, Wisconsin. September 15, 1851. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Canal Land Mortgages". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. February 13, 1854. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Watrous, Jerome Anthony (1909). Memoirs of Milwaukee County. Vol. 1. Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association. pp. 137, 535, 544–545. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History – Second Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Chicago: Clarke & Co. pp. 438–482.
  7. ↑ "It has been charged..." Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. August 3, 1861. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Return of Col. Coon". The Daily Milwaukee News. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. August 16, 1861. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "From the Second Regiment". The Racine Advocate. Fort Corcoran. August 14, 1861. p. 2. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Col. Coon". Janesville Daily Gazette. Janesville, Wisconsin. August 19, 1861. p. 3. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Milwaukee County Democratic Convention". The Daily Milwaukee News. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. October 2, 1864. p. 5. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "At Death's Door". Daily State Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. October 5, 1883. p. 4. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Col. S. Park Coon". Wisconsin State Journal. October 16, 1883. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Official Canvass". Wisconsin Democrat. Madison, Wisconsin. December 15, 1849. p. 3. Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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