William Duncan Connor (March 24,1864 – November 20,1944) was a Canadian-born American politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909.
Born near Stratford,Canada West,Connor moved with his parents from Canada to a farm in Auburndale,Wisconsin in 1872. He attended the State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh) in Oshkosh,Wisconsin for two years.
William D. “W.D.”Connor moved to Marshfield,Wisconsin in 1895,and became a successful lumberman and real estate investor in the Pacific Northwest. He established the towns of Laona,Wisconsin,Stratford,Wisconsin,and Connorville,Michigan (originally company towns) in the course of growing his lumber business. Connor is credited with establishing the practice of sustainable forestry. He also tirelessly pursued modern lumber technologies.
Very involved in politics and public service,he served for twenty years as a member of the Wood County Board of Supervisors,and was twice elected chairman. In 1892,1894,1896,1902 and 1904 he was elected a delegate to the Republican State Convention and in 1904 he was also elected one of the four (progressive) delegates-at-large to the National Republican Convention,by the regular Republican State Convention. This was the controversial 'gymnasium convention' that looms large in the history of the progressive movement in Wisconsin.
According to the Dictionary of Wisconsin Biography:
He was at first identified with the Robert M. La Follette wing of the party. In the 1904 progressive-stalwart split,Connor was chosen by the "gymnasium convention" as one of the progressive delegates to the Republican national convention. Although the national convention refused to accept the credentials of the Progressive delegation,the La Follette forces were recognized as the legal Republican ticket by the state supreme court (1904) and Connor became chairman of the Republican state central committee. (1904-1908).
Connor was elected as a Republican to the office of Lieutenant Governor in 1906;receiving 174,750 votes against 104,398 for Michael F. Blenski (Democratic),25,036 for William Kaufmann (Social Democrats),8,724 for August F. Fehlandt (Progressive) and 510 for John Veirthaler (Socialist Labor). He served as twentieth Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from January 7,1907 - January 4,1909, [1] but had a significant falling-out with the Governor Robert La Follette.
William Duncan Connor was a prolific legislator during his time in the Wisconsin State Assembly,sponsoring or co-sponsoring a wide variety of bills aimed at advancing the interests of his constituents and the state as a whole. Some of his most notable pieces of legislation include:Women's Suffrage:Connor was a strong supporter of women's right to vote. Education:Connor was a strong advocate for public education and sponsored several bills aimed at improving the state's school system. In particular,he pushed for increased funding for rural schools and advocated for the creation of a state board of education.
Another key piece of legislation William Duncan Connor played an important role in the passage of the Wisconsin Forestry Act which later was ratified to become Forest Crop Law and later still the Wisconsin Managed Forest Law,which was aimed at promoting sustainable timber management in the state. The act,which was passed in 1903,established a system of state forests and provided for the long-term management of timber resources. Connor,who was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly at the time,was a strong advocate for the Forestry Act and played a key role in its development. He was a member of the legislative committee that drafted the act,and he worked closely with other legislators and stakeholders to ensure its passage. One of the key provisions of the Forestry Act was the establishment of a state forestry board,which was responsible for overseeing the management of state forests and developing plans for their long-term use. Connor played a key role in the formation of this board and was a vocal advocate for its continued support and funding. In addition to the forestry board,the Forestry Act also provided for the creation of a state forest reserve,which was set aside for the long-term management of timber resources. This reserve was designed to promote sustainable forestry practices,and it provided incentives for private landowners to adopt similar practices on their own lands. Overall,William Duncan Connor's advocacy for the Wisconsin Forestry Act helped to establish a framework for sustainable timber management in the state,which has had lasting benefits for both the environment and the economy. Thanks in part to his efforts,Wisconsin remains a leader in sustainable forestry practices to this day.
Connor,along with Marinette lumberman Isaac Stephenson,were La Follette's main political backers from the business community. "Fighting Bob" La Follette's strong stand against the railroads,which then had monopolies on industrial transportation,appealed to the two men;and each of these lumbermen expected help to become United States Senator when La Follette became governor. Instead,and to their chagrin,at the first opportunity (January 1905) La Follette famously nominated himself to the U.S. Senate and arranged State Senate confirmation.
La Follette kept serving as governor and left Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat unfilled until January 1,1906,when he resigned to join the U.S. Senate. He publicly proclaimed this unusual action was done to ensure that his 1904 platform was enacted in Wisconsin.
After serving as lieutenant governor,Connor withdrew from statewide elective politics,although he remained active at the local and county level. He was to serve for twenty years on the Wood County Board,was president of the Marshfield library board from its organization in 1901 until his death,and was also a trustee of Carroll College (Wisconsin).
Connor died in Phoenix,Arizona and his place of interment is in Marshfield,Wisconsin.
W.D. Connor's father,Robert Connor,was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. W.D. married Huldah Marybelle Witter (Mary or Mame) on August 12,1888, [2] and they had eight children. [3] He was the grandfather of Melvin R. Laird and the great-grandfather of Jessica Laird Doyle,wife of Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.
Robert MarionLa Follette Sr.,nicknamed "Fighting Bob",was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. A Republican for most of his life,he ran for president of the United States as the nominee of his own Progressive Party in the 1924 U.S. presidential election. Historian John D. Buenker describes La Follette as "the most celebrated figure in Wisconsin history".
Robert Marion La Follette Jr. was an American politician who served as United States senator from Wisconsin from 1925 to 1947. A member of the La Follette family,he was often referred to by the nickname "Young Bob" to distinguish him from his father,Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette,who had served as a U.S. senator and governor of Wisconsin. Robert Jr.,along with his brother Philip La Follette,carried on their father's legacy of progressive politics and founded the Wisconsin Progressive Party. Robert Jr. was the last major Progressive Party politician in the U.S. Senate,ending in 1946 when the party disbanded. La Follette was defeated in the 1946 Republican Senate primary by Joseph McCarthy.
Philip Fox La Follette was an American politician. He was the 27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin,as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progressive Party.
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house,Wisconsin State Senate,and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly,both of which have had Republican majorities since January 2011. With both houses combined,the legislature has 132 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. The legislature convenes at the state capitol in Madison.
The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin is a seal used by the Wisconsin Secretary of State to authenticate all the governor's official acts,except laws. It consists of the state coat of arms,with the words "Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin" above it and 13 stars,representing the original states,below it.
Francis Edward McGovern was an American lawyer and politician from Wisconsin. He served as the 22nd Governor of Wisconsin from 1911 to 1915. In 1911 especially he sponsored a major series of progressive achievements through the legislature. Originally a close ally of Senator Robert M. La Follette,the two progressive leaders held an uneasy truce for McGovern's reelection in 1912. The two became bitter enemies in 1913-1916 and McGovern lost his bids for office and retired from politics.
Isaac Stephenson was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Wisconsin as both a United States representative and a United States senator.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Brian Schimming. The state party is divided into 72 county parties for each of the state's counties,as well as organizations for the state's eight congressional districts. It currently controls the majority of Wisconsin's U.S. House seats,one of its U.S. Senate seats,and has majorites in both houses of the state legislature.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.
The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul,a Democrat.
Thomas Ryum Amlie was a U.S. representative from Wisconsin,elected to Congress as a member of the Republican Party from 1931 to 1933 and again from 1935 to 1939 as a member of the Wisconsin Progressive Party.
Emil Baensch was an American lawyer,newspaper publisher,and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He was the 17th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin.
Thomas James O'Malley was an Irish American railroad conductor,union delegate,and Democratic politician from Wisconsin. He was the 26th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin,serving from 1933 until his death in 1936. When elected in 1932,he was the first Wisconsin Democrat to be elected lieutenant governor since 1892. He was described in the 1933 Blue Book as the first "workingman" to hold statewide office in Wisconsin. At the same time he was elected lieutenant governor,his son Thomas D. P. O'Malley was elected a U.S. congressman.
From January 23 to June 4,1912,delegates to the 1912 Republican National Convention were selected through a series of primaries,caucuses,and conventions to determine the party's nominee for president in the 1912 election. Incumbent president William Howard Taft was chosen over former president Theodore Roosevelt. Taft's victory at the national convention precipitated a fissure in the Republican Party,with Roosevelt standing for the presidency as the candidate of an independent Progressive Party,and the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson over the divided Republicans.
The following tables indicate the historic party affiliation of elected officials in the U.S. state of Wisconsin,including:Governor,Lieutenant Governor,Secretary of State,Attorney General,State Treasurer,Superintendent of Public Instruction. The tables also indicate the historical party composition in the State Senate,State Assembly,the State delegation to the United States Senate,and the State delegation to the United States House of Representatives. For years in which a United States presidential election was held,the tables indicate which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.
Walter L. Houser was a politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as that state's seventeenth Secretary of State of Wisconsin,serving two terms from January 5,1903 to January 7,1907. He was a Republican and served under governors Robert La Follette,Sr. and James O. Davidson.
The superintendent of public instruction, sometimes referred to as the state superintendent of schools,is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government,and acts as the executive head of the Department of Public Instruction. Twenty-eight individuals have held the office since statehood. The incumbent is Jill Underly.
The 1968 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5,1968. Republican Warren P. Knowles won the election with 53% of the vote,winning his third term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating Democrat Bronson C. La Follette. This was the last gubernatorial election in Wisconsin where the governor was elected to a two year term separately from the Lieutenant Governor.
The 1904 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8,1904.
The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) is a nonpartisan agency that provides legal advice,legislative drafting services,and public policy research and analysis to the Wisconsin Legislature,and reference services to the legislature,state agencies,and the public.