{{short description|19th century American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}} {{infobox officeholder |name = Levi Withee |image = Levi Withee.jpg |caption = Engraving by F. G. Kernan |state = Wisconsin |state_senate = Wisconsin |district = 32nd |term_start = January 2, 1893 |term_end = January 7, 1901 |predecessor = Hugh H. Price |successor = John C. Gaveney |party = Republican |birth_date = {{birth date|1834|10|26}} |birth_place = Somerset County, Maine, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1910|2|2|1834|10|26}} |death_place = La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S. |resting_place = Oak Grove Cemetery, {{nowrap|La Crosse, Wisconsin}} |spouse = {{marriage|Lovisa Smith|1868}} |children = {{unbulleted list | Abner G. Withee | (b. 1880; died 1954) }} |relatives = Niran Withee (brother) }} '''Levi Withee''' (October 26, 1834{{spaced ndash}}February 2, 1910) was an American lumberman, businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served eight years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing La Crosse County.
== Biography== Withee was born on October 26, 1834, in Somerset County, Maine.<ref name="obit-lac">{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93379586/obituary-for-levi-withee/ |title= Former Senator Withee No More |newspaper= La Crosse Tribune |date= February 2, 1910 |page= 1 |access-date= January 24, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref> He was raised on his father's farm and received a common school education.<ref name="1899bio">{{Cite report|url=http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1899 |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1899 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Froehlich |editor-first= William H. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1899/reference/wi.wibluebk1899.i0016.pdf |chapter= Biographical |page= 761 |access-date= January 24, 2022 }}</ref> Upon reaching adulthood, he was tempted by the opportunities in the new western states and moved to Wisconsin. He arrived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1853 and went to work in the lumber industry.<ref name="biog">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist00lewis/ |title= Biographical History of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo counties, Wisconsin |year= 1892 |publisher= The Lewis Publishing Company |location= Chicago |pages= [https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist00lewis/page/189/ 189–190] |access-date= January 24, 2022 }}</ref> By 1859, he had enough earnings to begin his own business further north, in Clark County, Wisconsin.<ref name="biog"/>
He was an owner or shareholder in many lumber companies in western Wisconsin, but was principally involved in the company Bright & Withee. He was also invested in the Electric Light Plant, the Gas Light Company, and the La Crosse Farming Company.<ref name="biog"/>
Withee was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate on the Republican ticket in 1892 and was re-elected in 1896, serving from 1893 to 1901.<ref name="1899bio"/> He did not run for a third term in 1900, but was a delegate that year to the 1900 Republican National Convention. He was a stalwart Republican, always opposed to Robert La Follette's Progressive Republicans, and endorsed a primary challenge against La Follete in his 1902 gubernatorial re-election campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93385880/about-la-follette/ |title= About La Follette |newspaper= Eau Claire Leader-Telegram |date= June 24, 1900 |page= 9 |access-date= January 24, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93385614/withee-for-whitehead/ |title= Call on Whitehead to Enter Contest |newspaper= The Weekly Telegram |date= January 16, 1902 |page= 5 |access-date= January 24, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref>
Withee died from a stroke in 1910.<ref name="obit-lac"/>
==Personal life and family== Levi Withee was a son of Zachariah Withee and his wife Polly (''{{nee}}'' Longley). Zachariah Withee was a veteran of the War of 1812 and received land as a reward for his service. Levi Withee was the fifth of seven children.<ref name="biog"/> His older brother Niran Withee also worked as a lumberman in the La Crosse area and was a member of the Wisconsin Legislature.
On June 3, 1868, he married Louisa H. Smith.<ref name="obit-lac"/> They had one son, Abner, who was also active in the lumber business in Wisconsin and Florida, and was appointed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Florida.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93382146/abner-withee-dead/ |title= Abner G. Withee, 74 |newspaper= Tampa Bay Times |date= April 10, 1954 |page= 2 |access-date= January 24, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref>
==Electoral history== {{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 32nd District Election, 1892<ref name="1899bio"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 8, 1892''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Levi Withee |votes = 5,802 |percentage = 49.27% |change = -5.01% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = George Y. Freeman |votes = 5,293 |percentage = 44.94% |change = +3.20% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = People's Party (United States) |candidate = John N. Jones |votes = 644 |percentage = 5.47% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Prohibition Party |candidate = C. H. Van Wormer |votes = 38 |percentage = 0.32% |change = -3.66% }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 509 |percentage = 4.32% |change = -8.22% }} {{Election box total |votes = 11,777 |percentage = 100.0% |change = -4.05% }} {{Election box hold with party link no swing |winner = Republican Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 32nd District Election, 1896<ref name="1899bio"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 3, 1896''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Levi Withee (incumbent) |votes = 9,545 |percentage = 66.82% |change = +17.56% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Herman E. Simpson |votes = 4,739 |percentage = 33.18% |change = -11.77% }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 4,806 |percentage = 33.65% |change = +29.32% }} {{Election box total |votes = 14,284 |percentage = 100.0% |change = +21.29% }} {{Election box hold with party link no swing |winner = Republican Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Find a Grave|17890031|Levi Withee}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-sen}} {{s-bef|before = Hugh H. Price }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin Senate}} {{nowrap|from the 32nd district}} |years= January 2, 1893{{spaced ndash}}January 7, 1901 }} {{s-aft|after = John C. Gaveney }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withee, Levi}} Category:Businesspeople from Wisconsin Category:American businesspeople in the timber industry Category:People from Somerset County, Maine Category:Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Category:Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Category:1834 births Category:1910 deaths Category:19th-century American businesspeople Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature