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{{short description|American lawyer and politician (1820–1883)}}
'''Squire Park Coon''' was an [[United States|American]] politician and soldier from [[Wisconsin]].
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = S. Park Coon
| image =
|order = 2nd
|office = Attorney General of Wisconsin
| term_start = January 7, 1850
| term_end = January 5, 1852
| governor = [[Nelson Dewey]]
| predecessor = [[James S. Brown]]
| successor = [[Experience Estabrook]]
|office1 = [[District Attorney]] of [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin]]
| term_start1 = January 1, 1863
| term_end1 = January 1, 1865
| predecessor1 = Joshua Stark
| successor1 = [[Jedd Philo Clark Cottrill|Jedd P. C. Cottrill]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|1820|3|28}}
|birth_place = [[Covington, New York]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1883|10|12|1820|3|28}}
|death_place = [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]
|death_cause = [[Tuberculosis]]
|restingplace = [[Forest Home Cemetery]]<br />Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse = {{marriage|Sarah Vincent|1844|1912}}
| children = {{unbulleted list
| Philip Vincent Coon
| {{sup|(b. 1844; died 1891)}}
| Kate Coon
| {{sup|(b. 1848; died 1848)}}
| Bessie Coon
| {{sup|(b. 1850; died 1851)}}
}}
|allegiance = {{flag|United States|1861}}
|branch = {{flag|United States Army}}<br />[[Union Army]]
|serviceyears = 1861
|rank = [[File:Union Army colonel rank insignia.png|35px]] [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]], [[United States Volunteers|USV]]
|commands = [[2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment|2nd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry]]
|battles = [[American Civil War]]
* [[Manassas campaign]]
** [[Battle of Blackburn's Ford]]
** [[First Battle of Bull Run]]
}}
'''Squire Park Coon''' (March 28, 1820{{spaced ndash}}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 served as [[Wisconsin Attorney General]] 1850-1852. Later, during the [[American Civil War]], he served in the [[2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment]] as colonel, but resigned soon after.<ref>'The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin-history and biography with portraits and illustrations, Parker McCoob Reed: 1882, pg. 188</ref>


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.<ref name="reed">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/benchandbarwisc00reedgoog |title= The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin |last= Reed |first= Parker McCobb |year= 1882 |publisher= P. M. Reed |location= [[Milwaukee]] |chapter= Attorney Generals |page= 184 |accessdate= September 3, 2020 }}</ref> In 1843, Coon moved to [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin Territory]], where he set up a legal practice.<ref name="berryman">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/historyofbenchba01berr |title= History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin |last= Berryman |first= John R. |year= 1898 |publisher= H. C. Cooper Jr. |location= [[Chicago]] |volume= 1 |pages= 442–443 |chapter= S. Park Coon |accessdate= September 3, 2020 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58618667/wi-dem-convention-1851/ |title= Democratic Nominations |newspaper= Democratic State Register |location= [[Watertown, Wisconsin]] |date= September 15, 1851 |page= 2 |accessdate= September 3, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist}}


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.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58619041/coon-canal-mortgage/ |title= Canal Land Mortgages |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |date= February 13, 1854 |page= 2 |accessdate= September 3, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> 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.<ref name="watrous">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmilwauk01watr |title= Memoirs of Milwaukee County |year= 1909 |last= Watrous |first= Jerome Anthony |author-link= Jerome Anthony Watrous |publisher= Western Historical Association |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |volume= 1 |pages= 137, 535, 544–545 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 }}</ref>{{rp|544–545}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Coon, Park S.
==Civil War service==
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
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 (Wisconsin politician)|Alexander Randall]].<ref name="reed"/> The regiment was organized in May 1861 at [[Camp Randall]], in [[Madison, Wisconsin]], and mustered into service June 11.<ref name="quiner">{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00quin/ |title= The Military History of Wisconsin |year= 1866 |publisher= Clarke & Co. |location= [[Chicago]] |last= Quiner |first= Edwin B. |chapter= Regimental History &ndash; Second Infantry |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00quin/page/438 |pages= 438–482 }}</ref>{{rp|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 [[United States Department of War|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.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624261/col-coon-resigned/ |title= It has been charged... |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |date= August 3, 1861 |page= 1 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
| DATE OF BIRTH =

| PLACE OF BIRTH =
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.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624212/return-of-col-coon/ |title= Return of Col. Coon |newspaper= The Daily Milwaukee News |location= [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]] |date= August 16, 1861 |page= 1 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16621755/the-racine-advocate/ |title= From the Second Regiment |location= [[Fort Corcoran]] |newspaper= The Racine Advocate |date= August 14, 1861 |page= 2 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
| DATE OF DEATH =

| PLACE OF DEATH =
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]].<ref name="quiner"/>{{rp|442}} Although he was officially planning to raise a company of cavalry to join the new brigade being mustered under General [[Rufus King (general)|Rufus King]], he ultimately did not return to military service.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624286/col-coon-not-raising-a-regiment/ |title= Col. Coon |newspaper= Janesville Daily Gazette |location= [[Janesville, Wisconsin]] |date= August 19, 1861 |page= 3 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>

==Later years==

Coon resumed his law practice in Milwaukee, and, in 1862, was elected [[district attorney]] for [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Milwaukee County]].<ref name="watrous"/>{{rp|535}} Though he sought renomination for another term as district attorney, the Milwaukee county democrats instead nominated [[Jedd Philo Clark Cottrill|Jedd P. C. Cottrill]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624552/milwaukee-dem-convention-1864/ |title= Milwaukee County Democratic Convention |newspaper= The Daily Milwaukee News |location= [[Milwaukee]], Wisconsin |date= October 2, 1864 |page= 5 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> Coon's legal career declined amidst worsening alcoholism. He was sustained through his later years by the charity of friends and former colleagues.<ref name="berryman"/><ref name="watrous"/>{{rp|137}}

He died of [[Tuberculosis]] on October 12, 1883, at Passavant hospital in Milwaukee.<ref name="watrous"/>{{rp|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.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624642/col-coon-near-death/ |title= At Death's Door |newspaper= [[Green Bay Press-Gazette|Daily State Gazette]] |location=[[Green Bay, Wisconsin]] |date= October 5, 1883 |page= 4 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58624657/col-coon-obituary/ |title= Col. S. Park Coon |newspaper= [[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date= October 16, 1883 |page= 1 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>

==Electoral history==

===Wisconsin Attorney General (1849)===

{{Election box begin | title= Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1849<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58632563/wisconsin-general-election-1849/ |title= Official Canvass |newspaper= Wisconsin Democrat |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |date= December 15, 1849 |page= 3 |accessdate= September 4, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 5, 1968'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = S. Park Coon
|votes = 17,079
|percentage = 53.55%
|change = -2.45%
}}
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Whig Party (United States)
|candidate = Moses B. Butterfield
|votes = 10,981
|percentage = 34.43%
|change = -9.57%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Free Soil Party
|candidate = [[Marshall Strong]]
|votes = 3,768
|percentage = 11.81%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = ''Scattering''
|votes = 65
|percentage = 0.20%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 6,098
|percentage = 19.12%
|change = +7.12%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 31,893
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +0.41%
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Find a Grave|73628562|Col Squire Park Coon }}

{{s-start}}
{{S-mil}}
|-
{{s-non|reason = Regiment established }}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Command of the [[2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment]]}}|years=April 24, 1861{{spaced ndash}}July 30, 1861}}
{{s-aft|after = Edgar O'Connor }}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before = [[James S. Brown]] }}
{{s-ttl|title = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]|years=1849}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Experience Estabrook]] }}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before = [[James S. Brown]] }}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|[[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]}}|years=January 7, 1850{{spaced ndash}}January 5, 1852}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Experience Estabrook]]}}
{{s-bef|before = Joshua Stark }}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|[[District Attorney]] of [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin]]}}|years= January 1, 1863{{spaced ndash}}January 1, 1865}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Jedd Philo Clark Cottrill|Jedd P. C. Cottrill]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Wisconsin Attorneys General}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coon, Park S.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coon, Park S.}}
[[Category:Norwich University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Wyoming County, New York]]
[[Category:Politicians from Milwaukee]]
[[Category:People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:District attorneys in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:New York (state) lawyers]]
[[Category:1820 births]]

[[Category:1883 deaths]]

[[Category:19th-century American politicians]]
{{Wisconsin-politician-stub}}
[[Category:Lawyers from Milwaukee]]
[[Category:19th-century American lawyers]]

Latest revision as of 16:52, 29 December 2023

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Wisconsin Attorney General (1849)[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ a b Reed, Parker McCobb (1882). "Attorney Generals". The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Milwaukee: P. M. Reed. p. 184. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b 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.

External links[edit]

Military offices
Regiment established Command of the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment
April 24, 1861 – July 30, 1861 		Succeeded by
Edgar O'Connor
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin
1849 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Wisconsin
January 7, 1850 – January 5, 1852 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Joshua Stark
 District Attorney of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1863 – January 1, 1865 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=S._Park_Coon&oldid=1192484218"