# William John McCoy

William John McCoy (September 30, 1834 – June 28, 1897) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Grant County.

## Biography

McCoy was born on September 30, 1834, in Argyle, New York. He moved to Beetown, Wisconsin, in 1852 and to Lancaster, Wisconsin, in 1880. McCoy died on June 28, 1897.

## Career

McCoy was elected to the Assembly in 1875 and served four terms. Additionally, he was Chairman of the Beetown Board for five years between 1869 and 1876. He was a Democrat.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Assembly (1875)

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 4th District Election, 1875 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 2, 1875 ||||||
| | Democratic | William J. McCoy | 735 | 55.06% | +12.72% |
| | Republican | John Brackett | 600 | 44.94% | |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 135 | 10.11% | -5.22% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,335 | 100.0% | -0.67% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1877)

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1877 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 6, 1877 ||||||
| | Democratic | William J. McCoy | 922 | 45.92% | +0.56% |
| | Republican | William B. Clark | 721 | 35.91% | −16.94% |
| | Greenback | Goodpel Lamson | 365 | 18.18% | +16.38% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 201 | 10.01% | +2.52% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,008 | 100.0% | -24.79% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1882, 1884, 1886)

Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1882 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 7, 1882 ||||||
| | Democratic | William J. McCoy | 1,335 | 61.24% | +20.52% |
| | Republican | Daniel B. Stevens (incumbent) | 795 | 36.47% | −20.69% |
| | Greenback | Goodpel Lamson | 50 | 2.29% | +0.17% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 540 | 24.77% | +8.34% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,180 | 100.0% | +54.39% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |
Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1884 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 4, 1884 ||||||
| | Democratic | William J. McCoy (incumbent) | 1,333 | 50.34% | −10.90% |
| | Republican | Charles H. Baxter | 1,235 | 46.64% | +10.17% |
| | Prohibition | Ezra Abrams | 80 | 3.02% | +0.17% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 98 | 3.70% | -21.07% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,648 | 100.0% | +21.47% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |
Wisconsin Assembly, Grant 2nd District Election, 1886 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 2, 1886 ||||||
| | Republican | Reuben B. Showalter | 1,133 | 47.01% | +0.37% |
| | Democratic | William J. McCoy (incumbent) | 1,111 | 46.10% | −4.24% |
| | Prohibition | Andrew Cairns | 166 | 6.89% | +3.87% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 22 | 0.91% | -2.79% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,410 | 100.0% | -8.99% |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |