James H. Vint was a machinist

Machinist

A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...

 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 who served three terms 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...

 member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

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Background

Vint was born in Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 on January 14, 1881, and came to Milwaukee in 1892, where he was educated in the Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 87,360 students, and as of 2006 employed 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the 33rd largest in the United States by enrollment...

. He became a machinist and a member of the Machinists Union

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries.-Formation and early history:...

 (his 1913 Wisconsin Blue Book

Wisconsin Blue Book

The Wisconsin Blue Book is a biannual publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The Blue Book is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisconsin. The book was first published in 1853...

 profile says he had been a union member eleven years).

Service in the legislature

In 1910, Vint was elected to the Assembly to represent the Eighth Milwaukee County district (the 8th and 23rd wards

Wards of the United States

In the United States, a ward is an optional division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes...

 of the City of Milwaukee). He received 1521 votes, to 1501 for Republican incumbent Fred Zimmerman, 143 for 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...

 Harry McLogan, and 12 for Prohibitionist William Trout. He was assigned to the standing committee

Standing Committee

In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...

s on agricultural exhibitions

Agricultural show

An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...

, and on express

Express mail

In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal administration...

, telegraph and telephone

Telephone

The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...

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In 1912, after a redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

, he ran from the 11th Milwaukee County district, which included the 23rd ward from his old district, and the 11th ward, which had formerly constituted the 11th district and been represented by fellow Socialist Frederick Brockhausen

Frederick Brockhausen

Frederick Carl Brockhausen, Jr. was a cigar maker and trade union activist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who spent four terms as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.- Background :...

 (who was running for the Wisconsin State Senate

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...

). He won re-election, with 2242 votes to 2015 for Democrat J. F. Hefferman, 1146 for Republican L. A. Conlan, and 103 for Prohibitionist Lucia Willis; and was transferred to the committee on state affairs, and the special committee on rules.

In 1914, he was again re-elected, with 2062 votes to 1426 for Republican William Klug, 997 for Democrat Clement Emery, and 61 for Prohibitionist Willis. He remained on the rules committee, but also moved to the standing committees on taxation and on elections.

He did not run for re-election in 1916, and was succeeded by fellow Socialist William E. Jordan

William E. Jordan

William E. Jordan was a stenographer and bricklayer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who served three terms as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 11th Milwaukee County district .- Background :Jordan was born September 10, 1883 in East Prussia, Germany...

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