POTTER, John Fox (1817-1899)

Republican of Wisconsin

1st congressional district

Served in House 1857-1863

View all members

Biography

Representative from Wisconsin; born in Augusta, Maine, May 11, 1817; attended the common schools and Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1837 and commenced practice in East Troy, Wis.; judge of Walworth County 1842-1846; member of the State assembly in 1856; delegate to the Whig National Conventions in 1852 and 1856 and to the Republican National Conventions in 1860 and 1864; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1863); chairman, Committee on Revolutionary Pensions (Thirty-sixth Congress), Committee on Public Lands (Thirty-seventh Congress); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress; consul general of the United States to the British Provinces in North America from 1863 to 1866, residing in Montreal, Canada; practiced law in East Troy, Wis., and died there May 18, 1899; interment in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Courtesy of Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Selected Votes