76th Wisconsin Legislature

76th Wisconsin Legislature
← 75th 77th →
Wisconsin State Capitol
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 7, 1963 – January 4, 1965
Election	November 6, 1962
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Jack B. Olson (R)
President pro tempore	Frank E. Panzer (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	100
Assembly Speaker	Robert Haase (R)
Speaker pro tempore	Harold W. Clemens (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
Regular January 9, 1963 – January 13, 1965
Special sessions
Dec. 1963 Spec. December 10, 1963 – December 13, 1963

The Seventy-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1963, to January 13, 1965, in regular session, and convened in a special session in December 1963. ^[1]

During this legislative session, the legislature and governor again failed at several attempts to pass a redistricting plan. The Wisconsin Supreme Court enacted its own redistricting plan in May 1964, making it the first time in Wisconsin history that the legislative maps were drawn by a court.

Senators representing odd-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 odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 6, 1962. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 8, 1960. ^[1]

Major events

• January 7, 1963: Inauguration of John W. Reynolds Jr. as the 36th Governor of Wisconsin.
• April 2, 1963: 1963 Wisconsin Spring election:
  • Bruce F. Beilfuss was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed Timothy Brown.
  • Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to set methodology for equalization of property values for the purpose of calculating municipal and county debt limits.
  • Wisconsin voters also rejected two amendments to the state constitution:
    • to allow the legislature to change the salaries of state judges during their terms.
    • to change the timing of the decennial redistricting from the first session after the census to the second.
• August 28, 1963: Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
• November 22, 1963: U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson immediately succeeded him as the 36th President of the United States.
• January 1, 1964: George R. Currie became the 19th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court by rule of seniority, at the expiration of the term of chief justice Timothy Brown.
• January 23, 1964: The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution came into force when a sufficient number of states ratified.
• April 7, 1964: 1964 Wisconsin Spring election:
  • Wisconsin voters rejected three amendments to the state constitution:
    • to increase the maximum state appropriation for forestry improvements.
    • to adjust property valuation for municipal and county debt limit calculation for situations where a large amount of material property is suddenly removed.
    • to allow constitutional amendments to contain multiple related issues, rather than having each change as a separate amendment.
• May 14, 1964: The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in the case of Reynolds v. Zimmerman, creating new legislative districts for use in the remaining 1960s elections.
• July 2, 1964: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.
• July 23, 1964: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice William H. Dieterich died in office.
• August 10, 1964: U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing the use of American military force in Vietnam.
• August 11, 1964: Wisconsin Governor John W. Reynolds Jr. appointed Nathan Heffernan to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, to succeed the deceased justice William H. Dieterich.
• November 3, 1964: 1964 United States general election:
  • Lyndon B. Johnson (D) elected President of the United States.
  • Warren P. Knowles (R) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • William Proxmire (D) elected United States senator from Wisconsin.

Major legislation

• 1963 Joint Resolution 7: Joint Resolution to amend article IV, section 26 of the constitution, relating to allowing increase or decreases for certain public officers during their term. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to change the salaries of state judges during their terms. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1963 election.
• 1963 Joint Resolution 8: Joint Resolution to amend Article XI, section 3 of the constitution, relating to debt limits for units of local government. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to set a process to equalize property values for use in calculating municipal and county debt limits. This amendment was approved by voters at the April 1963 election.
• 1963 Joint Resolution 9: Joint Resolution to amend Article IV, Section 3 of the constitution, relating to the time for apportionment of seats in the state legislature. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to change redistricting timing from the first session after the publishing of the census to the second. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1963 election.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition

  Democratic: 11 seats

  Republican: 22 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Dem.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	10	20	30	3
Start of Reg. Session	11	22	33	0
From May 10, 1964 [note 1]	10		32	1
Final voting share	31.25%	68.75%
Beginning of the next Legislature	13	20	33	0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 47 seats

  Republican: 53 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Dem.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	44	54	98	2
Start of Reg. Session [note 2]	47	52	99	1
From Apr. 9, 1963 [note 3]		53	100	0
From Aug. 8, 1963 [note 4]		52	99	1
From Oct. 15, 1963 [note 5]		51	98	2
From Apr. 13, 1964 [note 6]		53	100	0
Final voting share	47%	53%
Beginning of the next Legislature	51	49	100	0

Sessions

• Regular session: January 9, 1963 –January 13, 1965
• December 1963 special session: December 10, 1963 –December 13, 1963

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: Jack B. Olson (R)
• President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer (R–Oakfield)
• Majority leader: Robert P. Knowles (R–New Richmond)
• Minority leader: Richard J. Zaborski (D–Milwaukee)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: Robert Haase (R–Marinette)
• Speaker pro tempore: Harold W. Clemens (R–Oconomowoc)
• Majority leader: Paul Alfonsi (R–Minocqua)
• Minority leader: Robert T. Huber (D–West Allis)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Seventy-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature: ^[2]

Senate partisan representation

  Democratic: 11 seats

  Republican: 22 seats

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Door, Kewaunee, & Manitowoc	Alex Meunier	Sturgeon Bay	Rep.
02	Brown	Leo P. O'Brien	Green Bay	Rep.
03	Milwaukee (South City)	Casimir Kendziorski	Milwaukee	Dem.
04	Milwaukee (North County)	Jerris Leonard	Milwaukee	Rep.
05	Milwaukee (Northwest City)	Charles J. Schmidt (res. May 10, 1964)	Milwaukee	Dem.
06	Milwaukee (Northeast City)	Martin J. Schreiber	Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Milwaukee (South County & Southeast City)	Leland McParland	Cudahy	Dem.
08	Milwaukee (Western County)	Allen Busby	West Milwaukee	Rep.
09	Milwaukee (City Downtown)	Norman Sussman	Milwaukee	Dem.
10	Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, & St. Croix	Robert P. Knowles	New Richmond	Rep.
11	Milwaukee (Western City)	Richard J. Zaborski	Milwaukee	Dem.
12	Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Taylor, & Vilas	Clifford Krueger	Merrill	Rep.
13	Dodge & Washington	Frank E. Panzer	Oakfield	Rep.
14	Outagamie & Waupaca	Gerald Lorge	Bear Creek	Rep.
15	Rock	Peter P. Carr	Janesville	Rep.
16	Dane (Excluding Madison)	Carl W. Thompson	Stoughton	Dem.
17	Grant, Green, Iowa, & Lafayette	Gordon Roseleip	Darlington	Rep.
18	Fond du Lac , Green Lake & Waushara	Walter G. Hollander	Rosendale	Rep.
19	Calumet & Winnebago	William Draheim	Neenah	Rep.
20	Ozaukee & Sheboygan	Ernest Keppler	Sheboygan Falls	Rep.
21	Racine	Lynn E. Stalbaum	Racine	Dem.
22	Kenosha & Walworth	Earl D. Morton	Kenosha	Rep.
23	Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, & Washburn	Holger Rasmusen	Spooner	Rep.
24	Clark, Portage, & Wood	John M. Potter	Port Edwards	Rep.
25	Ashland, Bayfield, & Douglas	Frank Christopherson Jr.	Superior	Dem.
26	Dane (Madison)	Fred Risser	Madison	Dem.
27	Columbia, Crawford, Richland, & Sauk	Jess Miller	Richland Center	Rep.
28	Chippewa & Eau Claire	Davis A. Donnelly	Eau Claire	Dem.
29	Marathon, Menominee, & Shawano	Charles F. Smith Jr.	Wausau	Rep.
30	Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, & Oconto	Reuben La Fave	Oconto	Rep.
31	Adams, Juneau, Monroe, Marquette, & Vernon	J. Earl Leverich	Sparta	Rep.
32	Jackson, La Crosse, & Trempealeau	Raymond Bice Sr.	La Crosse	Rep.
33	Jefferson & Waukesha	Chester Dempsey	Hartland	Rep.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Seventy-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature: ^[2]

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 47 seats

  Republican: 53 seats

Milwaukee County districts

Senate Dist.	County	Dist.	Representative	Party	Residence
31	Adams, Juneau, & Marquette		Louis C. Romell	Rep.	Adams
25	Ashland & Bayfield		Robert F. Barabe	Dem.	Mellen
23	Barron		Thomas St. Angelo	Rep.	Cumberland
02	Brown	1	Jerome Quinn	Rep.	Green Bay
		2	Alexander R. Grant	Rep.	Green Bay
		3	Cletus J. Vanderperren	Dem.	Green Bay
10	Buffalo, Pepin, & Pierce		Robert I. Johnson	Rep.	Mondovi
23	Burnett & Polk		Harvey L. Dueholm	Dem.	Luck
19	Calumet		Wilmer H. Struebing	Rep.	Brillion
28	Chippewa		Edgar E. Lien	Rep.	Bloomer
24	Clark		Frank Nikolay	Dem.	Abbotsford
27	Columbia		Everett Bidwell	Rep.	Portage
	Crawford & Richland		Milford C. Kintz	Rep.	Richland Center
26	Dane	1	Norman C. Anderson	Dem.	Madison
		2	Edward Nager	Dem.	Madison
		3	Robert Uehling	Rep.	Madison
16		4	Jerome L. Blaska	Dem.	Sun Prairie
		5	David D. O'Malley	Dem.	Waunakee
13	Dodge	1	Esther S. Doughty	Rep.	Horicon
		2	Elmer C. Nitschke	Rep.	Beaver Dam
01	Door & Kewaunee		Lawrence Johnson	Rep.	Algoma
25	Douglas	1	Reino A. Perala	Dem.	Superior
		2	Charles J. Bouchard	Dem.	Brule
10	Dunn		William E. Owen	Rep.	Menomonie
28	Eau Claire	1	Thomas H. Barland	Rep.	Eau Claire
		2	Louis V. Mato	Dem.	Fairchild
30	Florence, Forest, & Langlade		Paul Dailey Jr.	Rep.	Elcho
18	Fond du Lac	1	Earl F. McEssy	Rep.	Fond du Lac
		2	Fred W. Schlueter	Rep.	Ripon
17	Grant		Hugh A. Harper (died Aug. 8, 1963)	Rep.	Lancaster
			James N. Azim Jr. (from Apr. 13, 1964)	Rep.	Muscoda
	Green		Christian M. Stauffer (died Oct. 15, 1963)	Rep.	Monticello
			G. Fred Galli (from Apr. 13, 1964)	Rep.	Monroe
18	Green Lake & Waushara		Franklin M. Jahnke	Rep.	Markesan
17	Iowa & Lafayette		Walter B. Calvert	Rep.	Benton
12	Iron, Oneida, & Vilas		Paul Alfonsi	Rep.	Minocqua
32	Jackson & Trempealeau		Merlin J. Peterson	Rep.	Black River Falls
33	Jefferson		Byron F. Wackett	Rep.	Watertown
22	Kenosha	1	George Molinaro	Dem.	Kenosha
		2	Russell Olson	Rep.	Randall
32	La Crosse	1	D. Russell Wartinbee	Rep.	La Crosse
		2	Norbert Nuttelman	Rep.	West Salem
12	Lincoln		Fred C. Reger	Rep.	Merrill
01	Manitowoc	1	Eugene S. Kaufman	Dem.	Manitowoc
		2	Everett E. Bolle	Dem.	Two Rivers
29	Marathon	1	Ben A. Riehle	Dem.	Athens
		2	Dave Obey	Dem.	Wausau
30	Marinette		Robert Haase	Rep.	Marinette
29	Menominee & Shawano		Theodore Abrahamson	Rep.	Tigerton
04	Milwaukee	1	Stan Pelecky	Dem.	Milwaukee
09		2	Frank G. Dionesopulos	Dem.	Milwaukee
		3	Angelo F. Greco	Dem.	Milwaukee
11		4	Frank E. Schaeffer Jr.	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		5	Mark W. Ryan	Dem.	Milwaukee
09		6	Isaac N. Coggs	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		7	Allen J. Flannigan	Dem.	Milwaukee
11		8	Adrian Manders	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		9	Joseph E. Jones	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		10	Patrick H. Kelly	Dem.	Milwaukee
03		11	Raymond J. Tobiasz	Dem.	Milwaukee
		12	Albert R. Tadych	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		13	Raymond Lee Lathan	Dem.	Milwaukee
03		14	Richard C. Nowakowski	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		15	Wilfred Schuele	Dem.	Milwaukee
11		16	Wayne F. Whittow	Dem.	Milwaukee
07		17	John E. McCormick	Dem.	Milwaukee
04		18	Michael J. Barron	Dem.	Milwaukee
		19	Nile Soik	Rep.	Whitefish Bay
08		20	Glen Pommerening	Rep.	Wauwatosa
		21	Richard J. Lynch	Dem.	West Allis
		22	Robert T. Huber	Dem.	West Allis
07		23	Robert Schmidt	Dem.	West Allis
		24	Lawrence P. Kelly	Dem.	Cudahy
31	Monroe		Kyle Kenyon	Rep.	Tomah
30	Oconto		Lloyd R. Baumgart	Rep.	Lena
14	Outagamie	1	Harold V. Froehlich	Rep.	Appleton
		2	William J. Rogers	Dem.	Kaukauna
20	Ozaukee		J. Curtis McKay	Rep.	Thiensville
24	Portage		Norman Myhra	Dem.	Stevens Point
12	Price & Taylor		Joseph Sweda	Dem.	Lublin
21	Racine	1	Earl W. Warren	Dem.	Racine
		2	Roy E. Naleid	Dem.	Racine
		3	Merrill E. Stalbaum	Rep.	Waterford
15	Rock	1	William Merriam	Rep.	Janesville
		2	--Vacant until Apr. 9, 1963--
			Carolyn Blanchard (from Apr. 9, 1963)	Rep.	Edgerton
		3	George B. Belting	Rep.	Beloit
23	Rusk, Sawyer, & Washburn		Willis J. Hutnik	Rep.	Tony
27	Sauk		Walter Terry	Rep.	Baraboo
20	Sheboygan	1	Kenneth Kunde	Dem.	Sheboygan
		2	Harry L. Gessert	Rep.	Elkhart Lake
10	St. Croix		William W. Ward	Dem.	New Richmond
16	Vernon		Bernard Lewison	Rep.	Viroqua
22	Walworth		George M. Borg	Rep.	Delavan
13	Washington		Elmer J. Schowalter	Rep.	Jackson
33	Waukesha	1	Vincent R. Mathews	Dem.	Waukesha
		2	Harold W. Clemens	Rep.	Oconomowoc
14	Waupaca		Richard E. Peterson	Rep.	Clintonville
19	Winnebago	1	William A. Steiger	Rep.	Oshkosh
		2	Floyd E. Shurbert	Rep.	Oshkosh
		3	David O. Martin	Rep.	Menasha
24	Wood	1	Raymond F. Heinzen	Rep.	Marshfield
		2	Harvey F. Gee	Rep.	Wisconsin Rapids

Committees

Senate committees

• Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture –J. E. Leverich, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Conservation –C. Krueger, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Education –P. P. Carr, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Governmental and Veterans Affairs –L. P. O'Brien, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Highways –J. Miller, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Interstate Cooperation –F. E. Panzer, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary –A. Busby, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Taxation, Insurance, and Banking –G. Lorge, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Public Welfare –C. Dempsey, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Senate Organization –F. E. Panzer, chair
• Senate Special Committee on Committees –R. Bice, chair
• Senate Special Committee on Contingent Expenditures –R. La Fave, chair
• Senate Special Committee on Legislative Procedure –F. E. Panzer, chair

Assembly committees

• Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture –W. Merriam, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Assembly Organization –R. Haase, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures –J. Quinn, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation –P. Alfonsi, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures –J. C. McKay, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Education –W. B. Calvert, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Elections –W. A. Steiger, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills –F. W. Schlueter, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills –W. E. Owen, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees –F. E. Shurbert, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Highways –E. C. Nitschke, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking –K. Kenyon, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary –R. E. Peterson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Labor –W. J. Hutnik, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities –E. F. McEssy, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Printing –M. C. Kintz, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare –W. Terry, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Revision –L. R. Baumgart, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Rules –P. Alfonsi, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs –F. M. Jahnke, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation –E. Bidwell, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading –C. M. Stauffer, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation –B. Lewison, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs –H. W. Clemens, chair

Joint committees

• Joint Standing Committee on Finance –W. G. Hollander (Sen.) & G. Pommerening (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Standing Committee on Legislative Organization –R. Haase, chair
• Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform Laws –E. Keppler (Sen.) & R. Uehling (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Legislative Council –R. Knowles, chair

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: Lawrence R. Larsen ^[3]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harold E. Damon

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: Kenneth E. Priebe ^[3]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Norris J. Kellman

Notes

1. Republican Charles J. Schmidt (5th District) resigned to join the Milwaukee common council.
2. Republican speaker David Blanchard (Rock County) died before the start of the session.
3. Republican Carolyn Blanchard (Rock County) sworn in to replace David Blanchard.
4. Republican Hugh A. Harper (Grant County) died.
5. Republican Christian M. Stauffer (Green County) died.
6. Republicans James N. Azim Jr. (Grant County) and G. Fred Galli (Green County) sworn in to replace Hugh A. Harper and Christian M. Stauffer.

References

1. 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. Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "Biographies". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1964 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 22–68. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
3. Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "The Legislative Branch". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1964 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 280–296. Retrieved October 12, 2023.

External links

• 1963: Related Documents from Wisconsin Legislature