The Fifty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1929, to September 20, 1929, in regular session.[1]
Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 6, 1928. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 2, 1926.[1]
March 23, 1929: Wisconsin chief justice Aad J. Vinje died in office. Justice Marvin B. Rosenberry immediately succeeded to the position of chief justice due to the rule of seniority.
April 2, 1929: 1929 Wisconsin Spring general election:
Wisconsin voters approved two amendments to the state constitution:
Allowing legislators to set their own salary by law rather than fixing the salary in the constitution. This was the sixth attempt in 20 years to amend the constitution to allow some adjustment to legislator salary, all the previous attempts failed.
Sheriffs were allowed to serve two consecutive terms in office.
Wisconsin voters approved an advisory (non-binding) referendum calling for modification of the federal prohibition law.
October 25, 1929: Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall was convicted of bribery for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal, becoming the first Presidential cabinet member to go to prison for actions in office.
November 14, 1929: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Franz C. Eschweiler died in office.
April 4, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed Edward T. Fairchild to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice Franz C. Eschweiler.
May 2, 1930: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Charles H. Crownhart died in office.
June 17, 1930: U.S. President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, enacting some of the highest tariffs in U.S. history.
July 13, 1930: Wisconsin congressman Florian Lampert (WI-06) died in office.
August 25, 1930: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice E. Ray Stevens died in office.
September 16, 1930: Incumbent Wisconsin governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. lost renomination in the Republican primary (in the ongoing intra-party feud, the progressive Philip La Follette defeated the stalwart Kohler).
September 25, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed John D. Wickhem to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice Charles H. Crownhart.
September 26, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed George B. Nelson to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice E. Ray Stevens.
Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution granting the Governor the power of a partial veto on appropriation bills.
December 14, 1930: The Green Bay Packers were the champions of the 1930 NFL season.
Major legislation
August 30, 1929: An Act ... relating to a children's code for Wisconsin and providing penalties, 1929 Act 439. Wisconsin's Children's Code, created a comprehensive set of state laws around child welfare and juvenile justice.
September 12, 1929: An Act ... relating to the consolidation of the departments of agriculture, the dairy and food commissioner, the department of markets, the state treasury agent, the state supervisor of inspectors of illuminating oils and the state humane agent in a new department of agriculture tind markets, and making appropriations, 1929 Act 479. Consolidated several state agencies and commissions into the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Markets.
1929 Joint Resolution 6: Joint Resolution to amend section 21 of Article IV of the constitution, relating to the compensation of members of the legislature, so as to in effect repeal such section, and the submission of this amendment to a vote of the people at the April election of 1929. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on legislator pay and instead allow legislator pay to be set by the normal legislative process. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1929 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 13: Joint Resolution to amend section 4 of Article VI of the constitution, relating to the election of sheriffs and to submit this amendment to a vote of the people at the April election of 1929. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow sheriffs to serve two consecutive terms. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1929 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 43: Joint Resolution to amend section 10 of article V of the constitution, relating to the approval of bills by the governor, and to submit this amendment to vote of the people at the general election in November, 1930. Second legislative passaged of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to grant the Governor the power of a partial veto on appropriation bills. This amendment was ratified by voters at the November 1930 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 69: Joint Resolution to amend section 5 of Article V of the constitution, relating to the compensation of the governor, so as to in effect repeal the said section. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on gubernatorial salary and instead allow the Governor's salary to be set through the normal legislative process. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 70: Joint Resolution to amend section 9 of Article V of the constitution, relating to the compensation of the lieutenant governor, so as to in effect repeal this section. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on Lieutenant Governor's salary and instead allow the Lieutenant Governor's salary to be set through the normal legislative process. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 72: Joint Resolution to amend Section 1 of Article VII of the constitution, relating to impeachments. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution making technical corrections to the impeachment section of the constitution. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.
1929 Joint Resolution 74: Joint Resolution to amend section 3 of article XI of the constitution, relating to indebtedness secured by public utility and other income producing property of municipalities. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution making additional allowances for municipal indebtedness. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.
^ abcdAnderson, William J.; Anderson, William A., eds. (1929). "State Government: Legislative Branch". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. pp. 499–596. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
