Levi H. Bancroft
OfficeUnited States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
PresidentCalvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Term startJune 15, 1927
Term endJuly 1, 1932
PredecessorRoy L. Morse
SuccessorEdward J. Gehl
Office 1Wisconsin Circuit Judge for the 5th circuit
Appointer 1Emanuel L. Philipp
Term start 1April 15, 1920
Term end 1June 1921
Predecessor 1George Clementson
Successor 1Sherman E. Smalley
Order 220th
Office 2Attorney General of Wisconsin
Term start 2January 2, 1911
Term end 2January 6, 1913
Governor 2Francis E. McGovern
Predecessor 2Frank L. Gilbert
Successor 2Walter C. Owen
Order 343rd
Office 3Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Term start 3January 13, 1909
Term end 3January 2, 1911
Predecessor 3Herman Ekern
Successor 3C. A. Ingram
State assembly 4Wisconsin
District 4Richland County
Term start 4January 7, 1907
Term end 4January 2, 1911
Predecessor 4J. E. Coffland
Successor 4Chris Monson
Office 5District Attorney of Richland County, Wisconsin
Term start 5January 1, 1887
Term end 5January 1, 1889
Predecessor 5Frank W. Burnham
Successor 5M. Murphy
PartyRepublican
Birth dateDecember 26, 1861
Birth placeSauk County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Death dateSeptember 5, 1948 (aged 86)
Death placeRichland Center, Wisconsin, U.S.
SpouseMyrtle DeLap (m. June 11, 1890)
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin Law School
ProfessionTeacher, lawyer, politician
AllegianceUnited States
BranchWisconsin National Guard
Service years1907–1913

Levi Horace Bancroft (December 26, 1861 – September 5, 1948) was an American lawyer and progressive Republican politician from Richland County, Wisconsin. He was the 20th attorney general of Wisconsin, the 43rd speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He also served as a Wisconsin circuit court judge and district attorney.

Biography

Levi H. Bancroft was born on December 26, 1861, to George I. and Helen M. Bancroft; reports have differed on the location. He attended high school in Lone Rock, Wisconsin, and later became a teacher. In 1884, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School.[1] On June 11, 1890, Bancroft married Myrtle DeLap. From 1907 to 1913, he was a judge advocate of what is now the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

He died at his farm near Richland Center on September 5, 1948.[2][3]

Political career

Bancroft served as the District Attorney of Richland County, Wisconsin, from 1886 to 1888, Richland Center, Wisconsin City Attorney for six years, and City Supervisor. From 1897 to 1902, he was a county judge of Richland County. Bancroft was a delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention. In addition, he was delegate to a number of State Republican Conventions. He would serve as an Assistant Attorney General. Bancroft was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1907 to 1910, serving as Speaker in 1909–1910. He did not run for the Assembly in 1910, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Chris Monson.

In 1910, he was elected Attorney General of Wisconsin, with 114,939 votes to 104,551 for Democrat John Doherty; 48,693 for "Progressive Republican" Charles Crownhart, and 39,399 for Social Democrat Gerrit Thorn Jr.[4]

He was a Wisconsin Circuit Court judge. Sources are varied over his length of service. Later, he served as a U.S. Attorney in Wisconsin from 1927 to 1932. From 1934 to 1936, Bancroft was Mayor of Richland Center.[5] He was again a county judge of Richland County from 1938 to 1948.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Biographical Sketches". Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin. 1909. p. 1129. Retrieved 2020-06-24. – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Levi H. and Myrtle Bancroft House, 277 N. Sheldon Street". City of Richland Center. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  3. ^ "Judge Levi H. Bancroft Dies At Age of 87". The Capital Times. 1948-09-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-06-24. – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Beck, J. D., ed. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin 1911 Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1911; p.
  5. ^ "Levi H. Bancroft Papers, 1863-1956". University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. Retrieved 2016-04-30.