John Edwards Jr.

A native of England, John Edwards Jr. settled in this area in 1859 to assume operation of his father’s sawmill, the nucleus around which the village of Port Edwards developed. Founded in 1840, the Edwards Sawmill was incorporated in 1890 into the John Edwards Manufacturing Company, parent company of Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Company. The office building for the company, built in 1872, stood near this site, and although enlarged several times, served as the home office of Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Company until 1961. <br><br> John Edwards Jr., to whom this statue is dedicated, managed the lumber business until his election to the Wisconsin Legislature as an assemblyman in 1890. Mr. Edwards died in office at Madison on March 11, 1891. The mill was turned over to Mr. Edwards son-in-law, L.M. Alexander, who converted the business from lumbering to paper manufacturing in 1896. <br><br> John Edwards was a founder and director of two local railroads serving this area. Appointed by President Lincoln, he served as postmaster until his death. Civic activities included a term of several years as town chairman and a similar term as Wood County Board Chairman. A promoter of better schools, he served as district school treasurer for thirty years and personally financed the building of the first school in Port Edwards. <br><br> Pioneer, industrialist, statesman, and civic leader&#8212;we commemorate Honorable John Edwards Jr.