Henry Clay Sloan

For the musician, see Henry Sloan.

Henry C. Sloan
District Attorney of Douglas County, Wisconsin
In office July 1895 – January 2, 1899
Preceded by	C. J. Monson
Succeeded by	Isaac Ross
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Douglas district
In office January 7, 1895 – January 4, 1897
Preceded by	Edgar G. Mills
Succeeded by	James H. Agen (1st dist.) Jarvis White (2nd dist.)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Outagamie 1st district
In office January 3, 1881 – January 2, 1882
Preceded by	John C. Peterson
Succeeded by	Humphrey Pierce
Personal details
Born	Henry Clay Sloan (1846-08-12)August 12, 1846 DeRuyter, New York, U.S.
Died	February 15, 1915(1915-02-15) (aged 68) Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican Democratic (before 1882)
Spouse	Helen Lois Phinney ​ (m. 1879)​
Children	None
Parents	A. Scott Sloan (father) Ann (Dodge) Sloan (mother)
Relatives	Ithamar Sloan (uncle)
Profession	lawyer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers Union Army United States Army
Years of service	1863–1866 (USV) 1866–1871 (USA)
Rank	1st Lieutenant, USV 1st Lieutenant, USA
Unit	5th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry 48th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry 4th Reg. U.S. Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Overland Campaign Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Battle of Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg

Henry Clay Sloan (August 12, 1846 – January 19, 1915) was an American lawyer and politician. He served two non-consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His father, A. Scott Sloan, and uncle, Ithamar Sloan, both served in the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

Henry C. Sloan was born in DeRuyter, Madison County, New York, on August 12, 1846. As a child, he moved west with his parents in 1854, settling at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. When he was old enough, he was sent to New York City to study law with his uncle.

Military service

While in New York, he ran away from his uncle's home and joined up with a New York regiment for service in the Union Army in the American Civil War. In December 1863, he transferred to the 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and served as a private in Company D. He served with the 5th Wisconsin Infantry in the Army of the Potomac in the eastern theater of the war and participated in the battles at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, North Anna, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. In July 1864, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, but when it was determined that he was just 17 years old, he was forced to resign. He re-enlisted with the Wisconsin volunteers and was commissioned 1st lieutenant of Company I in the new 48th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.

He served with the 48th Wisconsin Infantry through the end of the war, and then secured a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the regular U.S. Army. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant in July 1866 and served with the 4th U.S. Infantry Regiment through the end of 1870, working on railroad construction in the west.

Legal and political career

After leaving the Army, Sloan returned to studying law, this time at his father's office in Beaver Dam. He was admitted to the bar on March 5, 1872, and practiced law at Beaver Dam until 1875, when he moved to Appleton, Wisconsin. At Appleton, he was quickly elected city attorney, serving from 1876 through 1880. In the Fall of 1880, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in the 1881 session.

After the 1881 legislative session, he moved to Milwaukee and worked in a legal partnership with Winfield Smith until 1889. During this time he changed his political affiliation from Democratic to Republican and remained a devoted Republican for the rest of his life.

He then moved to Superior, Wisconsin, and engaged in the real estate business. At Superior, he was again elected city attorney; he served on the board of public works and was president of the board of education. He was elected to his second term in the State Assembly in 1894, representing Douglas County. After the 1895 legislative session, he was appointed district attorney of Douglas County to fill the unexpired term of C. J. Monson, who had died unexpectedly. He was subsequently elected to a full term as district attorney in the 1896 general election, serving through 1898.

In 1901, he returned to Appleton, where he resumed his legal practice, working until his death in 1915. Sloan died January 19, 1915, after an abscess burst on his lung.

Personal life and family

Henry Sloan was one of eight children born to A. Scott Sloan and his wife Mary Angeline "Ann" (née Dodge). A. Scott Sloan was a prominent lawyer in early Wisconsin and served as a U.S. congressman, Wisconsin Attorney General, and Wisconsin circuit court judge. Henry Sloan's uncle, Ithamar Sloan, was also a prominent lawyer and served as a U.S. congressman.

Henry Sloan married Helen Lois Phinney of Green Lake, Wisconsin, on November 19, 1879. Helen Phinney was a descendant of John Howland, one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. They had no children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1880)

Wisconsin Assembly, Outagamie 1st District Election, 1880

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1880
	Democratic	Henry C. Sloan	3,088	97.41%
	Greenback	L. L. Randale	82	2.59%
Plurality			3,006	94.83%
Total votes			3,170	100.0%	+45.68%
	Democratic gain from Greenback

Wisconsin Assembly (1894)

Wisconsin Assembly, Douglas District Election, 1894

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 6, 1894
	Republican	Henry C. Sloan	3,066	59.25%	+8.63%
	Democratic	John J. Atkinson	1,080	20.87%	−21.83%
	Populist	A. G. Newberg	990	19.13%	+12.45%
	Independent Republican	F. E. C. Bryant	39	0.75%
Plurality			1,986	38.38%	+30.46%
Total votes			5,175	100.0%	-7.11%
	Republican hold