John F. Potter
John Fox Potter | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the House Committee on Public Lands | |
| In office March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | Eli Thayer |
| Succeeded by | George W. Julian |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Wells Jr. |
| Succeeded by | James S. Brown |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Walworth 3rd district | |
| In office January 7, 1856 – January 5, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Pratt |
| Succeeded by | Solmous Wakeley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1817 Augusta, Massachusetts, U.S. (now Maine) |
| Died | May 18, 1899 (aged 82) East Troy, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Party |
|
| Spouses |
|
| Children |
|
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Barrett Potter (uncle) |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
| Nickname | "Bowie Knife" Potter |
John Fox "Bowie Knife" Potter (May 11, 1817 – May 18, 1899) was an American lawyer, Radical Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1857 to 1863. During the 37th U.S. Congress, he served as chair of the House Committee on Public Lands and helped shepherd the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862. In that same term, he was also chair of the House Select Committee on Loyalty of Federal Employees, which attempted to root out Confederate sympathizers from government; his activities in that role led to significant acrimony with Secretary of War Simon Cameron.
Potter earned his nickname ("Bowie Knife" Potter) because he demanded to use the bowie knife as his weapon when he was challenged to a duel in 1860 by Virginia U.S. representative Roger A. Pryor; the duel never ultimately took place, but the affair was widely covered by political newspapers around the country, turning Potter into an abolitionist celebrity for standing up to southern threats. Subsequently, at the 1860 Republican National Convention, Potter was presented with a giant six-foot-long folding knife to commemorate the event; Potter's monster knife is now in the collections of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Earlier in his career, he served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1856 term. As a legislator, he led the investigation into corruption in the administration of Democratic governor William A. Barstow, and—in the same term—played a pivotal role in facilitating the massive La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad bribery scandal which tainted dozens of Wisconsin legislators and Republican governor Coles Bashford. He also served several years as probate judge of Walworth County, and served as American consul general at Montreal after leaving Congress (1864–1866).
Potter was one of the first settlers in the town of East Troy, Wisconsin, and one of the first lawyers admitted to practice law in the Wisconsin Territory; he is the namesake of Potter Lake, Wisconsin.
John Fox Potter's father, John Potter, and uncle, Barrett Potter, were both prominent lawyers and elected officials in Maine.