William J. Wynn

This page discusses the California Representative. For the Mayor of Austin, Texas, see Will Wynn. For NFL football player, see Will Wynn (football player).

William J. Wynn
Wynn c. 1901
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 5th district
In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1905
Preceded by	Eugene F. Loud
Succeeded by	Everis A. Hayes
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office January 8, 1902 – March 4, 1903
Preceded by	Joseph S. Tobin
Succeeded by	Edward I. Walsh
Personal details
Born	William Joseph Wynn (1860-06-12)June 12, 1860 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	January 4, 1935(1935-01-04) (aged 74) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery
Party	Democratic Union Labor
Spouse	Nellie Donovan ​ (m. 1894)​
Children	Harold William Jr. John
Occupation	Machinist

William Joseph Wynn (June 12, 1860 – January 4, 1935) was an American machinist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California for one term from 1903 to 1905.

Biography

Wynn addresses a meeting of Union Iron Works employees, October 7, 1904

Born to Irish parents in San Francisco, California, Wynn attended the city's public schools. He apprenticed as a machinist and then worked the trade in the city's principal manufacturing establishments. An ally of Republican political operative Abe Ruef, Wynn was chosen to be one of his representatives to the founding convention of the Union Labor Party in 1901, serving as secretary of the convention. He was then elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that November on the Union Labor ticket, serving from January 1902 to March 1903.

Congress

Wynn was elected on a Democratic and Union Labor ticket to the 58th Congress, serving from 1903 to 1905. During his tenure he turned on Ruef, now political boss of the Union Labor Party, and subsequently lost the party's nomination in 1904. Though he still had the Democratic ballot line, he lost to Republican Everis A. Hayes.

Later career and death

After leaving office, Wynn worked in the insurance business in San Francisco until his death on January 4, 1935. He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California.

Wynn was an active member of the Native Sons of the Golden West.

Electoral history

1902 United States House of Representatives elections in California

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William J. Wynn	22,712	56.5
	Republican	Eugene F. Loud (Incumbent)	16,577	41.2
	Socialist	Joseph Lawrence	620	1.5
	Prohibition	Fred E. Caton	301	0.8
Total votes			40,210	100.0
Turnout
	Democratic gain from Republican

1904 United States House of Representatives elections in California

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Everis A. Hayes	23,701	52.3
	Democratic	William J. Wynn (Incumbent)	18,025	39.7
	Socialist	F. R. Whitney	2,263	5.0
	Union Labor	Charles J. Williams	916	2.0
	Prohibition	George B. Pratt	445	1.0
Total votes			45,350	100.0
Turnout
	Republican gain from Democratic

Sources

• United States Congress. "William J. Wynn (id: W000785)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Bean, Walton (1952). Boss Ruef's San Francisco: The Story of the Union Labor Party, Big Business, and the Graft Prosecution. Berkeley: University of California Press.

 This article incorporates public domain material from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Federal government of the United States.