Isaac R . Sherwood Isaac Ruth Sherwood ( August 13 , 1835 – October 15 , 1925 ) was an American politician and newspaper editor from Toledo , Ohio , as well as an officer in the Union army during the Civil War . He served nine terms in the United States Congress , and was a noted pacifist during World War I . Early life and career . Sherwood was born in Stanford , New York . After attending the local public schools , he attended the Hudson River Institute in Claverack , New York , and Antioch College in Ohio . He then studied law at the Ohio Law College in Poland , Ohio . After finishing school in 1857 , Sherwood became the editor of the " Williams County Gazette " in Bryan , Ohio . Sherwood was married to Kate Brownlee Sherwood and had two children , James and Lenore . Sherwood first entered politics in October 1860 when he was elected the probate judge of Williams County . Because of the Civil War , Sherwood ' s term as judge was short . Soon after President Abraham Lincoln ' s call for volunteers in April 1861 , Sherwood resigned from his judgeship and enlisted as a private in the 14th Ohio Infantry . Sherwood transferred to the 111th Ohio Infantry , initially serving as adjutant , but mustered out with the regiment as lieutenant colonel . Sherwood was ultimately promoted to brevet brigadier general for conspicuous service during the Battle of Franklin . He participated in the Carolinas Campaign , the final major campaign in the Eastern Theater . Postbellum career . After being mustered out of the military on June 27 , 1865 , Sherwood moved to Toledo , Ohio . There he became the editor of the " Toledo Daily Commercial " . He also began writing political editorials for " The Cleveland Leader " . Once again , Sherwood became involved in Ohio politics as a member of the Republican Party . In 1868 and again in 1870 , he was elected as Secretary of State of Ohio . Sherwood successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1872 and served one term . Once his term in Congress had ended , Sherwood returned to Cleveland and served as the owner and editor of the " Toledo Journal " from 1875 to 1884 . He also remained active in politics during this era . He was elected probate judge of Lucas County in 1878 and again in 1881 . In 1885 , Sherwood became the editor of the " Canton News - Democrat " , a position that he continued to hold for the following decade . In the 1870s , Sherwood had briefly supported the platform of the National Greenback Party . In 1879 , he chose to identify himself with the Democratic Party with which he remained for the rest of his life . He was nominated Representative of Ohio ' s 18th congressional district in 1896 , but lost . As a Democrat , he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1906 . Sherwood served for seven straight terms in Congress until he failed to win reelection in 1920 . When World War I began , he refused to support the United States declaration of war and refused to vote in favor of the draft . He believed that the United States should not get involved in a European war . Sherwood ' s pacifist views made him very unpopular in his home state , where Ohioans believed that he was being unpatriotic . He was defeated for reelection in 1920 . In 1922 , Sherwood was once again elected to the House of Representatives , but he was defeated in his reelection bid in 1924 . After completing his term , Sherwood retired from politics and moved back to Toledo . He died there only a few months later and was buried in the city ' s Woodlawn Cemetery .