William Ockler

William Ockler (March 26, 1843  September 10, 1918) was a German American immigrant, farmer, and Democratic politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing eastern Waukesha County during the 1871 session.

William Ockler
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Waukesha 3rd district
In office
January 2, 1871  January 1, 1872
Preceded byThomas McCarty
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Personal details
Born(1843-03-26)March 26, 1843
Gössitz, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia
DiedSeptember 10, 1918(1918-09-10) (aged 75)
Menomonie, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeLower Weston Cemetery, Weston, Dunn County, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Helena Haefner
(m. 1871; died 1895)
Children
  • Charles W. Ockler
  • (b. 1872; died 1961)
  • Andrew H. Ockler
  • (b. 1879; died 1957)
  • Marguerite (Wood)
  • (b. 1881; died 1961)
  • Jacob Ockler
  • (b. 1883; died 1962)
  • Hattie O. (Retzloff)
  • (b. 1884; died 1972)
  • Theresa Ockler
  • (b. 1886; died 1957)
  • Hattie Ockler
  • (b. 1887)
  • Samuel Ockler
  • (b. 1891; died 1961)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Volunteers
Union Army
Years of service1864–1865
RankPrivate, USV
Unit19th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Biography

William Ockler was born March 26, 1843, in what was then the Province of Saxony, in the Kingdom of Prussia (now central Germany).[1] He emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1857, sailing from Hamburg to Quebec, and then to Detroit, and finally Milwaukee. His father purchased a farm in Muskego, Wisconsin, in neighboring Waukesha County, where the family settled.[2]

In 1864, he volunteered for service in the Union Army amidst the American Civil War. He was enrolled as a private in Company E of the 19th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.[3] Ockler joined the regiment in New Bern, North Carolina, where they had been stationed for nearly a year as part of the Union blockade of Confederate ports. This was a particularly active period in this coastal battle, as the Union soon abandoned their control over Havelock, and Plymouth. In late April, they boarded boats and returned to Yorktown, Virginia, where they joined the Army of the James. Ockler's company was used as skirmishers in the Second Battle of Fort Darling, and he was wounded during that operation.[3] The regiment then went on to join the Siege of Petersburg. Shortly after their arrival however, their veterans were all given furlough for re-enlisting, and the remnant of the regiment—including Ockler—participated in the Second Battle of Fair Oaks. The regiment spent most of the rest of the war engaged in picket duty on the line around Richmond, Virginia.[4]

After the war, Ockler served several years as town treasurer and justice of the peace in Muskego. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1870, running on the Democratic Party ticket. He represented Waukesha County's 3rd Assembly district, which then comprised roughly the eastern quarter of the county.[1] His district was abolished in the 1871 redistricting act.[5] He subsequently served two terms on the Waukesha County board of supervisors, then moved to the town of Weston in Dunn County, Wisconsin, where he cultivated a farm for the next 25 years.[6]

About the year 1900, Ockler retired to a house in the neighboring city of Menomonie, Wisconsin. He died at his home in Menomonie on September 10, 1918, after several months of illness.[6]

Personal life and family

William Ockler was one of seven children of Tobias Ockler and his wife Erdmund (née Weber).[2]

William Ockler married Helena Haefner in 1871. They had at least 8 children together, seven of which survived them.[6]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1870)

Wisconsin Assembly, Waukesha 3rd District Election, 1870[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1870
Democratic William Ockler 1,057 67.89% +3.86%
Republican John Fuss 500 32.11%
Plurality 557 35.77% +7.73%
Total votes 1,557 100.0% +2.03%
Democratic hold

References

  1. "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 386. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. "Charles Ockler". Portrait and Biographical Record of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Excelsior Publishing Co. 1894. pp. 586–588. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  3. "Nineteenth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 127. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History–Nineteenth Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Clarke & Co. pp. 668–674. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  5. "An Act to apportion the state into senate and assembly districts". Act No. 156 of 1871 (PDF). Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  6. "Obituary – William Ockler". The Dunn County News. September 12, 1918. p. 4. Retrieved July 27, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
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