65th Wisconsin Legislature

65th Wisconsin Legislature
←64th 66th→
Wisconsin State Capitol ca.1915
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 6, 1941 – January 4, 1943
ElectionNovember 5, 1940
Senate
Members33
Senate PresidentWalter S. Goodland (R)
President pro temporeConrad Shearer (R)
Party controlRepublican
Assembly
Members100
Assembly SpeakerVernon W. Thomson (R)
Party controlRepublican
Sessions
RegularJanuary 8, 1941 – June 6, 1941

The Sixty-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 8, 1941, to June 6, 1941, in regular session.[1]

This legislative term coincided with the United States entrance into World War II. This session also represents the first time the Legislature failed to pass a redistricting act on schedule. Ultimately, no redistricting would occur in Wisconsin in the 1940s.

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 5, 1940. 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 8, 1938.[1]

Major events

  • January 6, 1941:
  • January 20, 1941: Third inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President of the United States.
  • January 21, 1941: The keel of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) was laid down at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
  • March 11, 1941: The Lend-Lease Act was signed into law by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • April 1, 1941: Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution allowing real estate taxes to be paid in installments.
  • May 27, 1941:
    • U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed an unlimited national emergency.
    • The Germany Navy battleship Bismarck was scuttled and sunk after being damaged in battle with British Navy off the coast of France.
  • June 14, 1941: All German and Italian assets in the United States were frozen.
  • June 22, 1941: Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union and breaking their non-aggression pact.
  • July 1, 1941: Commercial television was authorized in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission.
  • July 8, 1941: Wisconsin U.S. representative Stephen Bolles (WI-01) died in office.
  • August 14, 1941: The United States and United Kingdom issued the Atlantic Charter, describing their goals for a postwar world.
  • October 30, 1941: U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt approved a $1 billion lend–lease aide package for the Soviet Union (over $20 billion adjusted for inflation to 2023).
  • December 7, 1941: Naval forces of the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor.
  • December 8, 1941: The United States declared war on Japan.
  • January 7, 1942: The German Army abandoned their attempt to take Moscow after a three-month battle.
  • January 20, 1942: At the Wannsee Conference in Berlin, officers of the Nazi German government decided that the Final Solution to the "Jewish Problem" would be deportations to extermination camps.
  • March 9, 1942: The first prisoners of war arrived at Wisconsin's Fort McCoy.
  • March 18, 1942: U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9102, creating the War Relocation Authority.
  • April 26, 1942: The German Reichstag met for the last time, dissolving and declaring Adolf Hitler supreme judge of the German people.
  • May 8, 1942: Imperial Japanese forces completed the conquest of the Philippines, taking roughly 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war.
  • June 4, 1942: United States Navy aviators sank all four of Japan's fleet carriers present at the Battle of Midway.
  • November 3, 1942: Orland Steen Loomis (P) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • November 8, 1942: About 100,000 men of the United States and allied nations under the command of Dwight D. Eisenhower landed at various points along the coast of North Africa.
  • November 9, 1942: German Army forces controlled roughly 90% of the city of Stalingrad, representing the closest the Germans would come to capturing the city.
  • December 2, 1942: At a lab below Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, a team led by Enrico Fermi created the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction as part of the Manhattan Project.
  • December 7, 1942: Wisconsin governor-elect Orland Steen Loomis died of a heart attack.
  • December 11, 1942: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice George B. Nelson resigned.
  • December 12, 1942: Wisconsin governor Julius P. Heil appointed Elmer E. Barlow to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the retired justice George B. Nelson.
  • December 29, 1942: In a unanimous decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the lieutenant governor-elect, Walter S. Goodland, would be sworn in as the next governor in place of the deceased governor-elect.

Major legislation

  • 1941 Joint Resolution 18: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow payment of real estate taxes in installments. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1941 election.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition
  Democratic: 3 seats
  Progressive: 6 seats
  Republican: 23 seats
  Vacant: 1 seat
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Dem. Prog. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 5 11 15 31 2
Start of Reg. Session 3 6 24 33 0
From Feb. 12, 1941[note 1] 23 32 1
Final voting share 9.38% 18.75% 71.88%
Beginning of the next Legislature 4 6 23 33 0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 15 seats
  Progressive: 24 seats
  Republican: 61 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Dem. Prog. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 14 30 52 96 4
Start of Reg. Session 15 24 61 100 0
From Apr. 15, 1941[note 2] 23 99 1
From Sep. 30, 1941[note 3] 14 98 2
From Feb. 24, 1942[note 4] 22 97 3
From Nov. 21, 1942[note 5] 60 96 4
Final voting share 14.58% 22.92% 62.5%
Beginning of the next Legislature 14 13 73 100 0

Sessions

  • Regular session: January 8, 1941 – June 6, 1941

Leaders

Senate leadership

Assembly leadership

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Sixty-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:[2]

Senate partisan representation
  Democratic: 3 seats
  Progressive: 6 seats
  Republican: 23 seats
  Vacant: 1 seat
Dist. Counties Senator Residence Party
01 Door, Kewaunee, & Manitowoc John E. Cashman Denmark Prog.
02 Brown & Oconto John W. Byrnes Green Bay Rep.
03 Milwaukee (South City) Arthur L. Zimny Milwaukee Dem.
04 Milwaukee (Northeast County & Northeast City) Milton T. Murray Milwaukee Rep.
05 Milwaukee (Northwest City) Bernhard Gettelman Milwaukee Rep.
06 Milwaukee (North-Central City) George Hampel Milwaukee Prog.
07 Milwaukee (Southeast County & Southeast City) Anthony P. Gawronski Milwaukee Dem.
08 Milwaukee (Western County) Allen Busby West Milwaukee Rep.
09 Milwaukee (City Downtown) Cornelius T. Young Milwaukee Dem.
10 Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce, & St. Croix Warren P. Knowles New Richmond Rep.
11 Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, & Washburn Philip E. Nelson Maple Prog.
12 Ashland, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, & Vilas James H. Carroll Glidden Rep.
13 Dodge & Washington Jesse Peters Hartford Rep.
14 Outagamie & Shawano Mike Mack Shiocton Rep.
15 Rock Maurice Coakley Beloit Rep.
16 Crawford, Grant, & Vernon Helmar Lewis Boscobel Rep.
17 Green, Iowa, & Lafayette Carl Lovelace (died Feb. 12, 1941) Woodford Rep.
--Vacant from Feb. 12, 1941--
18 Fond du Lac, Green Lake & Waushara Louis J. Fellenz Jr. Fond du Lac Rep.
19 Calumet & Winnebago Taylor G. Brown Oshkosh Rep.
20 Ozaukee & Sheboygan Gustave W. Buchen Sheboygan Rep.
21 Racine Kenneth L. Greenquist Racine Prog.
22 Kenosha & Walworth Conrad Shearer Kenosha Rep.
23 Portage & Waupaca Fred R. Fisher Waupaca Rep.
24 Clark, Taylor, & Wood Melvin R. Laird Sr. Marshfield Rep.
25 Lincoln & Marathon Otto Mueller Wausau Rep.
26 Dane Fred Risser Madison Prog.
27 Columbia, Richland, & Sauk Jess Miller Richland Center Rep.
28 Chippewa & Eau Claire George H. Hipke Stanley Rep.
29 Barron, Dunn, & Polk Albert J. Connors Barron Prog.
30 Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, & Oneida Philip Downing Amberg Rep.
31 Adams, Juneau, Monroe, & Marquette Amrose B. Coller Necedah Rep.
32 Jackson, La Crosse, & Trempealeau Rudolph Schlabach La Crosse Rep.
33 Jefferson & Waukesha William A. Freehoff Waukesha Rep.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Sixty-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:[2]

Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 15 seats
  Progressive: 24 seats
  Republican: 61 seats
Milwaukee County districts
Senate
Dist. 		County Dist. Representative Party Residence
31 Adams & Marquette Robert M. Long Rep. Westfield
12 Ashland Harry P. Van Guilder Prog. Ashland
29 Barron Charles H. Sykes Prog. Cameron
11 Bayfield Laurie E. Carlson Prog. Bayfield
02 Brown 1 Harold A. Lytie Dem. Green Bay
2 William J. Sweeney Dem. De Pere
10 Buffalo & Pepin David I. Hammergren Rep. Cochrane
11 Burnett & Washburn Guy Benson Rep. Spooner
19 Calumet Charles R. Barnard Rep. Brillion
28 Chippewa Arthur L. Padrutt Prog. Chippewa Falls
24 Clark Walter E. Cook Rep. Unity
27 Columbia Arthur E. Austin Rep. Rio
16 Crawford Donald C. McDowell Rep. Soldiers Grove
26 Dane 1 Lyall T. Beggs Prog. Madison
2 Lars O. Lein Prog. Edgerton
3 Albert J. Baker Prog. Mount Horeb
13 Dodge 1 Elmer L. Genzmer Dem. Mayville
2 William E. Jones Rep. Beaver Dam
01 Door Frank N. Graass Rep. Sturgeon Bay
11 Douglas 1 Frank D. Sheahan Prog. Superior
2 Elmer Peterson Prog. Poplar
29 Dunn Earl W. Hanson Rep. Elk Mound
28 Eau Claire John T. Pritchard Prog. Eau Claire
30 Florence, Forest, & Oneida Henry J. Berquist Prog. Rhinelander
18 Fond du Lac 1 William J. Nuss Rep. Fond du Lac
2 Alfred Van De Zande Rep. Campbellsport
16 Grant 1 William H. Goldthorpe Rep. Cuba City
2 P. Bradley McIntyre Rep. Lancaster
17 Green Harry A. Keegan Rep. Monroe
18 Green Lake & Waushara Robert H. Boyson Rep. Wautoma
17 Iowa Glenn H. James Rep. Montfort
12 Iron & Vilas John P. Varda Prog. Hurley
32 Jackson Oswald H. Johnson Rep. Black River Falls
33 Jefferson Palmer F. Daugs Dem. Fort Atkinson
31 Juneau Pat W. Brunner Rep. Lyndon Station
22 Kenosha 1 Frederick Pfennig Rep. Kenosha
2 Matt G. Siebert Dem. Salem
01 Kewaunee Joseph M. Mleziva Rep. Luxemburg
32 La Crosse 1 Edward C. Krause Rep. La Crosse
2 William F. Miller Rep. West Salem
17 Lafayette Henry Youngblood Rep. Wiota
30 Langlade James T. Cavanaugh Dem. Antigo
25 Lincoln W. H. Aubuchon Prog. Merrill
01 Manitowoc 1 John Egan (died Nov. 21, 1942) Rep. Manitowoc
2 Frank E. Riley Rep. Two Rivers
25 Marathon 1 Martin C. Lueck Rep. Hamburg
2 Orville Fehlhaber Rep. Wausau
30 Marinette Roy H. Sengstock Rep. Marinette
09 Milwaukee 1 Robert G. Dela Hunt Rep. Milwaukee
06 2 Andrew Biemiller Prog. Milwaukee
08 3 William Luebke Prog. Milwaukee
09 4 Robert E. Tehan Dem. Milwaukee
03 5 Mary O. Kryszak Dem. Milwaukee
09 6 Ben Rubin (died Feb. 24, 1942) Prog. Milwaukee
06 7 Arthur Koegel Prog. Milwaukee
08 8 John Doyne Dem. Milwaukee
05 9 Edward L. Graf Rep. Milwaukee
07 10 Leland McParland Dem. Cudahy
03 11 Ervin J. Ryczek Dem. Milwaukee
07 12 Peter Pyszczynski Dem. Milwaukee
04 13 William Nawrocki Dem. Milwaukee
14 John C. McBride Rep. Milwaukee
05 15 Charles E. Collar Rep. Milwaukee
06 16 Herman B. Wegner Prog. Milwaukee
07 17 William F. Double Rep. Milwaukee
06 18 Frank Weinheimer Prog. Milwaukee
05 19 Charles F. Westfahl Rep. Milwaukee
08 20 Eric E. Hagedorn Rep. Wauwatosa
31 Monroe Alex L. Nicol Prog. Sparta
02 Oconto John E. Youngs Rep. Oconto
14 Outagamie 1 Mark Catlin Jr. Rep. Appleton
2 Lloyd Lang Rep. Kimberly
20 Ozaukee Nicholas J. Bichler (res. Sep. 30, 1941) Dem. Belgium
10 Pierce Selmer W. Gunderson Rep. Spring Valley
29 Polk Dougald D. Kennedy (died Apr. 15, 1941) Prog. Amery
23 Portage John Kostuck Prog. Stevens Point
12 Price Ernest A. Heden Rep. Ogema
21 Racine 1 Thomas P. Corbett Rep. Racine
2 Edward F. Hilker Rep. Racine
3 Randolph H. Runden Rep. Union Grove
27 Richland Vernon W. Thomson Rep. Richland Center
15 Rock 1 Edward Grassman Rep. Edgerton
2 Burger M. Engebretson Rep. Beloit
12 Rusk & Sawyer Robert H. Burns Rep. Ladysmith
27 Sauk George J. Woerth Prog. Sauk City
14 Shawano Charles Ebert Rep. Gresham
20 Sheboygan 1 Joseph M. Theisen Dem. Sheboygan
2 Edwin J. Larson Rep. Plymouth
10 St. Croix Elmer L. Rundell Rep. Roberts
24 Taylor Carl M. Nelson Rep. Medford
32 Trempealeau Martin D. Brom Rep. Arcadia
16 Vernon Charles W. Fowell Jr. Rep. Viroqua
22 Walworth Ora R. Rice Rep. Delavan
13 Washington Joseph A. Schmitz Rep. Germantown
33 Waukesha 1 Glenn R. Davis Rep. Waukesha
2 Alfred R. Ludvigsen Rep. Pewaukee
23 Waupaca Julius Spearbraker Rep. Clintonville
19 Winnebago 1 Leo T. Niemuth Rep. Oshkosh
2 James C. Fritzen Rep. Neenah
24 Wood Chester A. Krohn Prog. Marshfield

Committees

Senate committees

  • Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Labor – F. R. Fisher, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Committees – M. Coakley, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – T. G. Brown, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Corporations and Taxation – M. T. Murray, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public Welfare – W. A. Freehoff, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Highways – M. Mack, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – J. Peters, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on Legislative Procedure – C. Shearer, chair
  • Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government – R. Schlabach, chair

Assembly committees

  • Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – O. R. Rice, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – B. M. Engebretson, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – F. N. Graass, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – E. Grassman, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Education – W. H. Goldthorpe, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – R. H. Burns, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – H. Youngblood, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – C. M. Nelson, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – E. F. Hilker, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – D. C. McDowell, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – J. C. McBride, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – M. Catlin, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – A. R. Ludvigsen, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – L. T. Niemuth, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – C. W. Fowell, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – E. W. Hanson, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – C. F. Westfahl, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – M. Catlin, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – A. E. Austin, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – E. A. Heden, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – W. F. Miller, chair
  • Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – D. I. Hammergren, chair

Joint committees

  • Joint Standing Committee on Finance – O. Mueller (Sen.) & P. B. McIntyre (Asm.), co-chairs

Employees

Senate employees

  • Chief Clerk: Lawrence R. Larsen[3]
    • Assistant Chief Clerk: Thomas M. Donahue
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Emil A. Hartman
    • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Winford H. Johnson

Assembly employees

  • Chief Clerk: Arthur L. May[3]
    • Assistant Chief Clerk: Edward J. Walden
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Norris J. Kellman
    • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Phillip K. Lalor

Notes

  1. ^ Republican Carl Lovelace (17th District) died.
  2. ^ Progressive Dougald D. Kennedy (Polk County) died.
  3. ^ Democrat Nicholas J. Bichler (Ozaukee County) resigned.
  4. ^ Progressive Ben Rubin (Milwaukee County) died.
  5. ^ Republican John Egan (Manitowoc County) died.

References

  1. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S.; Lemanski, Lynn, eds. (2021). "Historical Lists" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2021–2022 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 468, 471, 475, 479–480. ISBN 978-1-7333817-1-0. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1942). "Members of the Legislature". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 23–70. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1942). "The State Government: Legislative Branch". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 257-. Retrieved August 6, 2023.