James Sutherland (Wisconsin politician)


James Sutherland was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.

Biography

Sutherland was born on March 20, 1820 in Smithfield, Ohio. In December 1846, he married Elizabeth Withington. They had seven children. Sutherland moved to Janesville, Wisconsin in 1847. He was a member of the American Bible Society and Vice President of the Wisconsin Historical Society. He died in Janesville in 1905.

Career

Sutherland was a delegate to the Free Soil Party National Convention in 1852. In 1854, he took party in organizing the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
In 1848, Sutherland became Janesville's first Superintendent of Schools. He then went on to serve three terms in the Senate representing the 17th district. Later, he was elected Mayor of Janesville in 1872 and re-elected in 1873.