John Adam Pœrtner, Poertner or Portner (January 3, 1817 – July 7, 1910) was an American mason, miller and politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Background and private life Pœrtner was born in 1817 in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, and emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on May 26, 1839. He came to Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Territory in 1843.Chapter 5: "1843" in: Buck, James. Pioneer History of Milwaukee, From 1840-1846, Inclusive. Volume 2 Milwaukee: Symes, Swain & Co., Book and Job Printers, 1881; p. 162] He was naturalized on November 14, 1844.National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950 (M1285); Microfilm Serial: M1285; Microfilm Roll: 142; via Ancestry.com. U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010; accessed 11-12-2021 As of the 1850 Federal census, he was working as a mason, and married to Caroline Portner [spellings were not consistent], who was a 28 year old native of France, and they had four children. By 1856, he was among the freeholders of the Sixth Ward to petition the Milwaukee Common Council for street improvements.Petition notice Daily Milwaukee News June 6, 1856; p. 4, col. 4 via newspapers.com
In the 1870 census, he is reported as running a mill; he and Caroline (or Carolina) are reported with 8 children, from Adam Jr. (26, a clerk at the mill) to Lotte, 7. By 1874, he was living on Court StreetThickens, John. Milwaukee City Directory for 1874-1875, Containing Also a Complete Business Directory... Milwaukee: Milwaukee News Company, Book and Job Printers: 1874; p. 294] as he would continue to do for the rest of his life.
Politics By 1854, he was nominated as a delegate from the Second Ward to the Milwaukee County Democratic convention."Second Ward Democratic Meeting" Weekly Wisconsin October 18, 1854; p. 3, col. 3 via Newspapers.com
In July 1856, he was a railroad commissioner for the Sixth Ward.,"Milwaukee City Officers" Daily Milwaukee News July 6, 1856; p. 1, col. 2 via Newspapers.com and was re-elected in April 1857Spring 1857 election results Daily Milwaukee News April 15, 1857; p. 2, col. 3 via Newspapers.com In April 1861, he was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council from the Sixth Ward, with 319 votes to 241 for W.R. Taylor.Spring 1861 election results Daily Milwaukee News April 7, 1861; p. 1, col. 4 via Newspapers.com He was also a member of the Milwaukee County board of supervisors in this period.
In 1862, a caucus presided over by the incumbent, Democrat Adam Finger, nominated Pœrtner for the Wisconsin State Assembly seat representing the 6th Milwaukee County district (the 6th and 9th wards of the City of Milwaukee) for 1863."Sixth and Ninth Wards" Daily Milwaukee News October 21, 1862; p. 1, col. 6 via Newspapers.com In the November general election he defeated Republican former Assemblyman John Rugee"Legislative Nominees of 1862" Wisconsin State Journal November 3, 1862; p. 2, col. 5 via Newspapers.com (Finger had won the seat from Rugee in 1861).
Immediately after the election, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that Pœrtner had been "[a]mong the leaders of the mob in Milwaukee, to resist the draft" and called for his arrest and confinement, asserting "Such a man has no right, to sit in the Legislature of a loyal State.""A Case for the Provost Marshal" Wisconsin State Journal November 11, 1862; p. 1, col. 3 via Newspapers.com
Pœrtner was assigned to the standing committee on the state prison.Dean, John S.; Stewart, Frank M., ed. The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin; comprising Jefferson's manual, the rules, forms and laws for the regulation of business; also, lists and tables for reference Second Annual Edition. Madison: Atwood and Rublee, State Printers, 1863; p. 92, 129 He resigned from the board of supervisors since he would not be able to attend."Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors, Milwaukee County. Special Session. December 18th, A.D. 1862" i.a. Milwaukee Daily News January 6, 1863; p. 2, col. 3 He was succeeded in the next term by another Democrat, Frederick Zetteler.Stewart, Frank M.; Dean, John S., ed. The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin; comprising Jefferson's manual, rules, forms and laws, for the regulation of business: also, lists and tables for reference Third Annual Edition. Madison: William J. Park, State Printer, Harding's Block, 1864; p. 132
By 1877, he was again a member of the board of supervisors for the 6th ward, and nominated by the local Democrats for re-election;"Ward Democrats" Daily Milwaukee News March 23, 1877; p. 4, col. 5; via Newspapers.com and again in 1878"The Democratic Candidates" Daily Milwaukee News April 2, 1878; p. 2, col. 4 via Newspapers.com
Later years He is listed in the 1880 census as "retired" and living with Carolina and three children; in the 1900 census as widowed and living with a daughter and two grandchildren; and in the 1910 census as living with the same daughter (Josephine or Josephina) and one granddaughter.
He died July 7, 1910, of "senile debility and exhaustion" and was buried at Union Cemetery in Milwaukee.Milwaukee Public Library; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Milwaukee Vital Records; Call Number: 929.3; via Ancestry.com. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., Deaths, 1854-1911 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018; accessed 11-12-2021
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