Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-08-29
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Brief Story of the Life of Viii
liam Duncan Conner
(From the Fond du Lac Bulletin.)

Wnen the UNBIASED 0lSJoTldu VI Nn6
future tells the story of the great
struggle and the ultimate triumph OF
a principle that meant much for the
welfare OF the state and nation, due
credit will be given not alone to those
who occupied prominent positions up
on the stage within easy range of
the public eye, but also to those mas.
ter minds without which these re-
forms never would have been posi-
bic, at the time being at least, and
might have died aborning" and be-
fore the nations ear had been at
tracted to the cry.
! From among the names of those
! will stand out In letters bold that of
Hon. William d. Connor of Marsh
/ field, chairman of the republican
state central committee, who has be-
come a candidate for the office of
! lieutenant governor. He will be
remembered as the one whose splen-
| did generalshir wrested from seem
ing defeat political victory al
most without parallel in the annals
| OF Wisconsin history; by this act
assuring the enactment into law of
/ those great measures of common in
terest, renewing the courage of those
no had fought long and braveIy In
| Wisconsin, ard giving heart to those
| IN other states to go forth and give
! battle TO the system" and its vo-
taries.
| The story of the life of William
Duncan Cognoe should prove of in
| terest not alone to his political and
! TN,,k 90 oil ~ 8
! the state. He has attained a promi-
renee few men Of his years have sue
ceeded in doing. and 1t is well that
1 { II should know what manner of man
! he is. Mr.. Cor.ar had the good for
tune to be born Of parents not too lib
orally blessed with this worlds goods,
and his childhCcd ard boyhood days
were not spent in incidence and ease.
! He was born on farm near STRAIT
/ ford, Ontario and when eight years
II age his paEents disposed of their
Canadian farm and came to Wiscon-
sin, taking 10 Il homestead in the
then wilds of Wisconsin, at a point
about ten milei east of where the city
If Marshfeld nlw stands. The pio.
neers life is net an easy one. Its
EdIN5HIfS nave UEEH GOiQ OFEA ct1A
ever again. but time shows that no
life so develops character and rounds
cut sturdy. self-reliant men, as did
that of the pioneer. Young Connor's
life did not vary much from any of
the sons Of other pioneers. 1t devolved
upon him to assume his share of bur
dens as fast as his strength would
permit.
The school days Of the subject of
this sketch are covered by tie dis
trict school and two years at the
State Normal School az Oshkosh,
/ completing the same before ne at
tanned the age OF seventeen. His am
btion had been to become a lawyer
and with this in view he entered Lake
Forest University He had hardly
spent two months in this institution
when the falling health Of his father
made it imperative that he return
home. which he did. at once taking
charge of his fathers farm and log
ging ope rations. which from the ma
ture of his early training, he was ca
pable of doing. He never returned to
again take up the study of law, but
from that time on has followed log
ging and numbering and every branch
Of the work incident thereto, from
surveying and estimating timber to
marketing the products of the forest.
Tie wears following the panic of
1898 are when everything was at
standstiIl, Mr.. Conner showed his I'M
bounded confidence in the future of
Wisconsin by investing every dollar
gy, hard1urNsaH
timber lands Taking advantage OF
the experience he had gained in the
woods. he personally examined timber
lands all over northern Wisconsin, liv-
ing out in the woods with the cruis-
ers and surveyors and doing his share
OF the work. In this manner he ac-
CURED in an early day large holdings
of heavily timbered hardwood and
hemlock lands, getting them at a
time when no one thought them of
any particular value The last few
years have shown the good judgment
exhibited in foreseeing the future of
such property.
In spite of his many private duties
he has never lost sight of the fact
that he owes certain obligations to
the UubilC anu lbi NNtAby FGcAH AO
served as member of the county board
% supervisors of Wood county. He
has always shown a keen interest in
educational matters and has been an
outspoken advocate of manual train
ing and other progressive modes Of
education In public schools. He Is
now and has been since the establish
ment of the Wood County Normal
Training school for teachers, one Of
its board of three trustees. He is also
one Of the trustees of Carroll College.
at Waukesha
Six years ago Marshfield had been
striving for long time to get free
public library One effort after an
other had been tried to bring the nee.
essary financial aid but all OF them
had failed Finally a library board
was organized Mr. Connor was cho-
sen president and he took hold of the
matter and built up a library so sue
cessfully that today Marshfield has
what is conceded to be one OF the
best equipped and most modern free
l!brar,es in the state.
Aithough Mr.. Conner has been emf.