Biography
Potucek was born July 17, 1901, on a farm in Sumner County, Kansas. [1] [2] His parents were Joseph and Louisa Potucek, and he had an older sister Adelaide and two younger siblings Lona and Joseph. [3] He went to the University of Kansas and received his law degree before obtaining the bar in 1924. [2]
Although he was a Democrat, he was invited to run for county attorney on the Republican ticket in 1924, but refused, saying he would wait to run as a Democrat. [2] He ran in 1928 but was defeated by the Republican candidate. He ran again in 1930 and won. [2] He was efficient in the role, prosecuting 300 cases in his first four months and winning all but four. [2] In total he was elected as county attorney five times. [2]
He refused to take several thousand dollars in $25 fees for convicting liquor law violations, saying "the taxpayers don't have to bribe me to do my job." [2]
In 1944 he was elected to the Kansas Senate, beating the incumbent Republican Otto B. Wenrich 4,755 to 4,350 votes. He was the only Democratic senator that session. [4]
He entered the race for governor of Kansas in 1946 but withdrew to focus on the Senate. [5] He stood again for the governorship in 1950, [6] but lost the Democratic primary to Ken Anderson, who he immediately started supporting. Anderson eventually lost to the Republican candidate Frank L. Hagaman. [7]
Potucek stood for re-election to the Senate in 1960 and lost to Republican Ford Harbaugh. [8]
Potucek served as a district judge, [9] and he later returned to the position of county attorney and served till he resigned in 1975 to take the new position of county counselor. [10]
Potucek married Vera Epperson on February 16, 1935, [11] and died June 26, 1982. [12]
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