Henry Kleist was a farmer from Rantoul

Rantoul, Wisconsin

Rantoul is a town in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Wells is located partially in the town.-Geography:...

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 who served one term as a Socialist

Socialist Party of America

The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...

 state senator

Wisconsin State Senate

The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...

.

Kleist was born on a farm in the Town of Eaton

Eaton, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

Eaton is a town in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 761 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Steinthal is located in the town.-Notable residents:*Henry Kleist, politician*Victor A...

, Manitowoc

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 82,887. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The United States Census Bureau's Manitowoc Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Manitowoc County.-Government:...

. on Sept. 29, 1860. Six years later his parents moved to the Town of Rantoul

Rantoul, Wisconsin

Rantoul is a town in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Wells is located partially in the town.-Geography:...

 in Calumet County

Calumet County, Wisconsin

Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is included in the Appleton, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the county's population was 48,971. The county seat is Chilton.-History:...

.. He attended public schools as a boy in the winter, working on the farm in summer, and later worked in the woods in winter. After the 1888 death of his father, he and his brother Charles operated the homestead farm, now known as Kleist Brothers' Grain and Dairy Farm, continued to live with their mother. By 1918, he was president of the Calumet County branch of the American Society of Equity

American Society of Equity

The American Society of Equity was an American agricultural cooperative and political organization, founded in 1902, which aimed to organize farmers as a "Third Power" in the United States, able to compete with capital and organized labor on equal terms. Equity inspired the creation of many...

 (at that time "the greatest farmer organization that the State had ever known" and the Farmers Advancement Association of Brillion

Brillion, Wisconsin

Brillion is a city in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,937 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Brillion, though it is politically independent.-Notable residents:...

, and a member of the Brillion Masonic

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 and Odd Fellow

Independent Order of Odd Fellows

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...

 lodges.

In 1918, he was elected to the State Senate as a Socialist for the 15th district (Calumet and Manitowoc counties), receiving 4,393 votes to 3,611 for Leo P. Fox, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. He was the Socialist nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin

The Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the order of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the Governor of Wisconsin...

, losing to Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 (and fellow dairy farmer

Dairy farming

Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...

) George F. Comings.

He succeeded Henry Rollman, a Democrat, and was succeeded by Alva A. Garey, a Republican.