Lloyd Emery Jr.

Lloyd F. Emery Jr. was born October 4, 1918, in Stoughton, Wisconsin, the son of Lloyd F. and Beatrice Emery. A lifelong member of a family closely associated with Stoughton's business community, he graduated from Stoughton High School and eventually became the third generation of the Emery family involved in the local farm implement business.

He married Beatrice Kittleson, daughter of K. O. Kittleson of Stoughton. Following their wedding, the couple took a trip to Kentucky in a house trailer before returning to Stoughton. At the time, Emery was already working with his father in the Emery & Johnson implement business on Sixth Street.

During World War II, Emery entered the U.S. Navy. He received his initial training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he graduated with the rating of Fireman Second Class. He subsequently received additional instruction at Richmond, Virginia, with newspaper reports indicating that his assignment may involve work with diesel engines. After a period at Shoemaker, California, Emery was sent overseas to the Southwest Pacific near Australia. A wartime newspaper account identified him as Fireman First Class and reported that he had written home to his parents and wife after safely arriving overseas.

Emery was discharged from the Navy on February 3, 1946, and returned to Stoughton and the family business. His family's connection with the implement trade stretched back decades. His grandfather, Harvey Emery, had helped establish the business around the beginning of the 20th century. Lloyd Emery Sr. eventually became its sole operator, and Lloyd Jr. joined his father as a partner.

When Lloyd Emery Sr. sold his interest to Charles “Chuck” King, Lloyd Jr. remained with the company, which became Emery & King Farm Implement Co. Emery and King subsequently constructed a new 60-by-100-foot building along Highway 51 west of Stoughton. The company sold and serviced farm machinery including John Deere, New Idea and Gehl equipment and DeLaval milking machines.

Emery's involvement in Stoughton extended beyond business. A World War II veteran, he became active in American Legion Otis Sampson Post 59 and eventually served as Acting Commander of the Post. A 1952 newspaper account records that Clarence Seils was installed as Commander succeeding “Acting Commander Lloyd Emery, Jr.”

After selling his interest in Emery & King in 1955, ending three generations of Emery family ownership in the implement business, Emery pursued other business interests. In 1957, he purchased the Marshall-Wells store in Stoughton from the Spieler brothers. A newspaper account announcing the purchase described him as a veteran Stoughton businessman, a past commander of the American Legion and a freshman alderman on the Stoughton City Council.

His service to the city became another important part of his life. Emery represented Stoughton's Third Ward as an alderman and was pictured among the members of the 1961–62 City Council. In campaigning for the office, Emery pointed to his years as a Third Ward taxpayer and his business experience, promising to approach city affairs in an efficient and economical manner.

Lloyd F. Emery Jr. died June 2, 2005, at the age of 86. His life reflected several generations of Stoughton history—from the family implement business begun by his grandfather, through his World War II Navy service in the Pacific, to his leadership in Post 59, local business ventures and service on the Stoughton City Council.