History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              476 HISTOEY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.
tia. Captain J. B. Schneller has held that position from the beginning. The history of J. P. Shepard Post, G. A. E., is given elsewhere. H. J. Lewis Post, G. A. E., Neenah, was or¬ ganized at the same time to keep up the love of the flag fought for by veterans of the Civil War. The Women's Belief Corps is made up of the wives and daughters of the soldiers of the Civil War, and belong to the home guard. Their object is patriotic benevolence.
Hon. Samuel A. Cook, himself a soldier of the Civil War and always deeply interested in the welfare of the old soldiers, was born in upper Canada, January 28, 1849, and removed with his parents to Wisconsin in 1855. They were wrecked on the. Lady Elgin and his mother drowned. He was educated in the com¬ mon schools and resided a number of years in Calumet county, when he went into the northern forests near Unity, where he was successful. About 1880 he removed to Neenah, where he soon macle his first venture in paper making by the purchase of the paper mills built by Hon. A. W. Patten. After selling these mills, he purchased a mill at Menasha and organized the Cook Paper Company. After several years he sold this mill and built a large paper mill at Alexandria, Indiana, which he still oper¬ ates. He also owns the old Kellogg patent inside concern at Chicago. He has retained his home at Neenah. He was mayor of Neenah, member of the Assembly two terms, member of Congress one term, refusing a second; a member of the national conventions that nominated Benjamin Harrison and the one that nominated William M6Kinley; candidate for the United States Senate, receiving almost enough votes to elect by the Legislature in 1898. In the state Eepublican convention com¬ posed of the highest political and business talent in Wisconsin for Governor of the state, one of the highest honors ever paid to a citizen. Speeches were made by Senator Spooner and others of the great men of national reputation. The regularity of the convention was contested for lack of notice; biit the national Ee¬ publican convention at Chicago admitted its delegates, although the Supreme Court of Wisconsin declared for the rump con¬ vention, and then Mr. Cook withdrew. He has now been re¬ quested by a host of signed petitioners throughout the state to be a candidate for the United States Senate before the next ses¬ sion of the Legislature, and is regarded as a very able and popu¬ lar man.