"Public Service and Fraternalism"

At the 1893 Dept. Encampment, La Crosse’s Walter Clarence Winters was elected Commander.

Brother Winter was born August 4, 1857 in Dixfield, Maine, the younger of two boys, born to Elisha and Anna (Mitchel) Winter. On his father’s side, he was a descendant of Governor Bradford of the Plymouth colony. His father, who was a judge, raised a company of men and served as captain of Company D, 12th Maine Infantry from November 1861 to December 1864. In April 1865, he died of injuries received during the Battle of Cedar Creek.

The two boys were raised by their mother until her death in 1875. Walter graduated from Bowdoin College in 1883, where he was an athlete on the rowing and baseball teams, presiding officer of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity and president of his class. Immediately upon graduation, he came west and taught for a year as principal at schools in Kilbourn and Kewaunee. He then studied law with a judge in Sparta and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1887. He then became a member of the law firm of Winter, Esch and Winter, where he stayed until retiring in 1918. He was extremely well-liked and well-thought of by both clientele and the public.

La Crosse’s Robert Hughes Camp #42 was formed during the excitement surrounding the 1889 National Grand Army Encampment held in Milwaukee.

When the 1891 Department Encampment was held in La Crosse, Camp #42 was one of two Camps rated highest in inspections. Br. Winter was appointed to a committee on Encampment work and the following year to the Dept Council. He was completing his service as Camp 42’s Commander.

Winter’s was not an easy administration. The depression following the Panic of 1893 devastated membership. Within two years the department dropped nearly one thousand members. In addition to financial issues, some suspected too many young boys, who quickly lost their enthusiasm, were recruited. The 1893 National Encampment reacted by changing the eligibility age from 18 to 21. The downward trend did not change and the age was returned to 18 the next year. Others felt that the Order should introduce more ritualistic work and the 1894 National Encampment approved a 3-degree ritual. Despite reorganization of some the state’s camps, department membership was 724 in 33 Camps. A year earlier, Wisconsin had 742 members in 31 Camps.

New camps were organized at Campbellsport, Fennimore, Hudson, and Sharon. In early May 1894, Mernon Kerby Camp #19 was chartered in Grand Rapids. The Stevens Point Camp and Oshkosh’s Old Abe Camp #80 were reorganized. Two years earlier, Oshkosh had the largest camp in the state. Camps at Kenosha, LaValle and Wautoma disbanded. Additionally, only two Ladies Aid Societies were active: one at Sheboygan and the other at La Crosse.

Winter reported, “During the past year, the membership of our division has decreased in spite of the efforts of your division officers. The old camps have barely held their own at the best and many of them have not succeeded in doing so.”

Sadly, Camp 42 disbanded and was later rechartered in 1904 as Col. Moore Camp #22. It was necessary for Br. Winter to be reinstated as PDC at the 1905 Dept. Encampment.

The Camp was reorganized again in 1912 and was rechartered as Robert Hughes Camp #19. PDC Winter served again as Camp Commander. The camp rechartered one more time in 1920, but did not survive World War II.

In 1899, Winter worked for the Omaha Line at St. Paul, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. He soon returned to La Crosse and was elected to the La Crosse County Board of Supervisors from the 16th Ward.

He served on the Board of Supervisors from 1901 to 1919, serving as chairman the last two years. He then resigned to become supervisor of assessors, a position he held for four years. Afterwards, he was a member of La Crosse’s assessment board.

In 1892, Br. Winter was a charter member of La Crosse’s John P. Linton lodge, Knights of Pythias and held many positions in that Order. In May 1900, he was elected Wisconsin Grand Vice Chancellor.

PDC Winter suffered a decline in health after an accidental fall. A few years later, he died of a stroke on November 22, 1934. He was 77 years old. He was survived by his older brother, Frank, cousins in Black River Falls and Augusta, Wis. The Knights of Pythias were in charge of the funeral.

By PCinC Stephen Michaels
Research assistance from PDC Kent Peterson  

Information Sources:
Chippewa Herald-Tribune, 26 August 1899
Green Bay Weekly Gazette, 27 June 1894.
La Crosse Tribune, 23 November 1934 and 21 April 1935
Portage Daily Register, 10 May 1900
Press Forward the Good Work, History of the Wisconsin Dept. SUVCW by PCinC Stephen Michaels, Wisconsin Dept. SUVCW, 1998 and 2006

Last Updated: 28 September 2020