69th Wisconsin Legislature

The Sixty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 12, 1949, to September 13, 1949, in regular session.^[1]

69th Wisconsin Legislature
← 68th 70th →
Wisconsin State Capitol ca.1915
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 3, 1949 – January 1, 1951
Election	November 2, 1948
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	George M. Smith (R)
President pro tempore	Frank E. Panzer (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	100
Assembly Speaker	Alex L. Nicol (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
Regular January 12, 1949 – September 13, 1949

This session saw the first legislative terms of Gaylord Nelson, Patrick Lucey, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, and Robert T. Huber, all of whom would—over the course of the subsequent two decades—play important roles in the transition of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from a permanent minority party to competitive status with the state Republican Party, by winning over many former Wisconsin Progressive Party voters.

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 2, 1948. 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 5, 1946.^[1]

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Oscar Rennebohm, of Dane County, serving his first full two-year term, having won election in the 1948 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. He had previously been elected lieutenant governor in 1946, and ascended to the gubernatorial office following the death of governor Walter Samuel Goodland in March 1947.

Major events

• January 3, 1949: Second inauguration of Oscar Rennebohm as Governor of Wisconsin.
• January 20, 1949: Second inauguration of Harry S. Truman as President of the United States.
• April 4, 1949: The North Atlantic Treaty was signed by representatives of twelve countries, including the United States, establishing the NATO defensive alliance.
• April 5, 1949: 1949 Wisconsin Spring election:
  • Edward J. Gehl was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
  • Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution to allow the state to take on debt to pay for veterans' housing.
  • Wisconsin voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution to repeal the prohibition on taxing federal lands.
• June 19, 1949: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice John D. Wickhem died in office.
• August 29, 1949: The Soviet Union held their first succerssful atomic bomb test.
• July 14, 1949: Wisconsin Governor Oscar Rennebohm appointed Timothy Brown to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, to succeed the deceased justice John D. Wickhem.
• October 1, 1949: Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
• December 7, 1949: The government of the Republic of China retreated to the island of Taiwan and declared Taipei to be their new capital.
• June 25, 1950:
  • Forces of the Korean People's Army began an invasion of the Republic of Korea, initiating the Korean War.
  • The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 82, condemning North Korea's invasion of South Korea.
• June 27, 1950: U.S. president Harry Truman ordered U.S. forces to the defense of the Republic of Korea.
• October 19, 1950: Chinese forces joined the Korean War, supporting North Korea.
• November 7, 1950: 1950 United States general election:
  • Walter J. Kohler Jr. elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • Alexander Wiley re-elected United States senator from Wisconsin.

Major legislation

• August 11, 1949: An Act ... relating to discontinuing the Wisconsin veterans' authority and transferring its functions to the department of veterans' affairs, a veterans' housing trust fund, veterans' housing loans, incentive grants for veterans' housing and making appropriations, 1949 Act 627. Utilized the recently ratified amendment to the state constitution to create new veterans programs.
• 1949 Joint Resolution 1: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to enable the state to take on debt to pay for veterans' housing. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1949 election.
• 1949 Joint Resolution 2: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to repeal a portion of the constitution which had prohibited taxing land owned by the federal government. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1949 election. But the same amendment was later ratified in 1951.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition

  Democratic: 6 seats

  Republican: 26 seats

  Vacant: 1 seat

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Dem.	Prog.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	5	1	27	33	0
Start of Reg. Session[note 1]	4	0	27	31	2
From Mar. 4, 1949[note 2]			26	31	2
From Apr. 5, 1949[note 3]	6			32	1
Final voting share	18.75%		81.25%
Beginning of the next Legislature	7	0	26	33	0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 25 seats

  Republican: 74 seats

  Vacant: 1 seat

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Dem.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	12	87	98	1
Start of Reg. Session	26	74	100	0
From Apr. 5, 1949[note 4]	25		99	1
From Jul. 23, 1949[note 5]		73	98	2
From Dec. 9, 1949[note 6]	24		97	3
From Apr. 13, 1950[note 7]		72	96	4
Final voting share	25%	75%
Beginning of the next Legislature	24	76	100	0

Sessions

• Regular session: January 12, 1949 – September 13, 1949

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: George M. Smith (R)
• President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer (R–Oakfield)
• Majority leader: Warren P. Knowles (R–New Richmond)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: Alex L. Nicol (R–Sparta)
• Majority leader: Vernon W. Thomson (R–Richland Center)
• Minority leader: Leland McParland (D–Milwaukee)

Members

Members of the Senate

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

Senate partisan representation

  Democratic: 6 seats

  Republican: 25 seats

  Vacant: 1 seat

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Door, Kewaunee, & Manitowoc	Everett LaFond	Two Rivers	Rep.
02	Brown & Oconto	Fred F. Kaftan	Green Bay	Rep.
03	Milwaukee (South City)	--Vacant until Apr. 5, 1949--
		Casimir Kendziorski	Milwaukee	Dem.
04	Milwaukee (Northeast County & Northeast City)	George A. Mayer	Milwaukee	Rep.
05	Milwaukee (Northwest City)	Bernhard Gettelman	Milwaukee	Rep.
06	Milwaukee (North-Central City)	William A. Schmidt	Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Milwaukee (Southeast County & Southeast City)	Roman R. Blenski	Milwaukee	Dem.
08	Milwaukee (Western County)	Allen Busby	West Milwaukee	Rep.
09	Milwaukee (City Downtown)	Robert E. Tehan	Milwaukee	Dem.
10	Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce, & St. Croix	Warren P. Knowles	New Richmond	Rep.
11	Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, & Washburn	Arthur Lenroot Jr.	Superior	Rep.
12	Ashland, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, & Vilas	Clayton Hicks	Phillips	Rep.
13	Dodge & Washington	Frank E. Panzer	Oakfield	Rep.
14	Outagamie & Shawano	Gordon A. Bubolz	Appleton	Rep.
15	Rock	Robert P. Robinson	Beloit	Rep.
16	Crawford, Grant, & Vernon	Foster B. Porter	Bloomington	Rep.
17	Green, Iowa, & Lafayette	Melvin Olson	South Wayne	Rep.
18	Fond du Lac, Green Lake & Waushara	Alfred Van De Zande	Campbellsport	Rep.
19	Calumet & Winnebago	Taylor G. Brown	Oshkosh	Rep.
20	Ozaukee & Sheboygan	Gustave W. Buchen	Sheboygan	Rep.
21	Racine	Edward F. Hilker (died Mar. 4, 1949)	Racine	Rep.
		--Vacant from Mar. 4, 1949--
22	Kenosha & Walworth	William Trinke	Lake Geneva	Rep.
23	Portage & Waupaca	Oscar W. Neale	Stevens Point	Rep.
24	Clark, Taylor, & Wood	Melvin Laird Jr.	Marshfield	Rep.
25	Lincoln & Marathon	Clifford Krueger	Merrill	Rep.
26	Dane	Gaylord Nelson	Madison	Dem.
27	Columbia, Richland, & Sauk	Jess Miller	Richland Center	Rep.
28	Chippewa & Eau Claire	Arthur L. Padrutt	Chippewa Falls	Rep.
29	Barron, Dunn, & Polk	--Vacant until Apr. 5, 1949--
		John E. Olson	Chetek	Dem.
30	Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, & Oneida	Philip Downing	Amberg	Rep.
31	Adams, Juneau, Monroe, & Marquette	J. Earl Leverich	Sparta	Rep.
32	Jackson, La Crosse, & Trempealeau	Rudolph Schlabach	La Crosse	Rep.
33	Jefferson & Waukesha	Chester Dempsey	Hartland	Rep.

Members of the Assembly

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

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 25 seats

  Republican: 74 seats

  Vacant: 1 seat

Milwaukee County districts

Senate Dist.	County	Dist.	Representative	Party	Residence
31	Adams & Marquette		Louis C. Romell	Rep.	Adams
12	Ashland		Bernard J. Gehrmann	Rep.	Mellen
29	Barron		Charles H. Sykes	Rep.	Cameron
11	Bayfield		Samuel E. Squires	Rep.	Mason
02	Brown	1	Robert E. Lynch	Dem.	Green Bay
		2	William J. Duffy	Dem.	Wrightstown
10	Buffalo & Pepin		Edmund Hitt	Rep.	Alma
11	Burnett & Washburn		Holger Rasmusen	Rep.	Spooner
19	Calumet		Henry M. Peters	Rep.	Menasha
28	Chippewa		Sylvia H. Raihle	Rep.	Chippewa Falls
24	Clark		Arthur E. Stadler	Rep.	Owen
27	Columbia		Arnie F. Betts	Rep.	Lodi
16	Crawford		Patrick Lucey	Dem.	Ferryville
26	Dane	1	Ruth Bachhuber Doyle	Dem.	Madison
		2	John M. Blaska	Dem.	Marshall
		3	Hermann Eisner	Dem.	Cross Plains
13	Dodge	1	Elmer L. Genzmer	Rep.	Mayville
		2	Elmer C. Nitschke	Rep.	Burnett
01	Door		Hallie H. Rowe	Rep.	Sturgeon Bay
11	Douglas	1	Byron C. Ostby	Rep.	Superior
		2	Charles E. Nelson	Rep.	Superior
29	Dunn		Earl W. Hanson	Rep.	Elk Mound
28	Eau Claire		John T. Pritchard	Rep.	Eau Claire
30	Florence, Forest, & Oneida		Clarence W. Gilley	Rep.	Rhinelander
18	Fond du Lac	1	Myrton H. Duel	Rep.	Fond du Lac
		2	Charles A. Peterson	Rep.	Rosendale
16	Grant	1	Robert S. Travis	Rep.	Platteville
		2	Hugh A. Harper	Rep.	Lancaster
17	Green		Harry A. Keegan	Rep.	Monroe
18	Green Lake & Waushara		Halbert W. Brooks	Rep.	Green Lake
17	Iowa		Robert McCutchin	Rep.	Arena
12	Iron & Vilas		William R. Yeschek	Rep.	Lac du Flambeau
32	Jackson		Casper D. Waller	Rep.	Black River Falls
33	Jefferson		Theodore S. Jones	Rep.	Lake Mills
31	Juneau		Ben Tremain	Rep.	Hustler
22	Kenosha	1	Frederick Pfennig	Rep.	Kenosha
		2	George Molinaro	Dem.	Kenosha
01	Kewaunee		Julius Stangel	Rep.	Kewaunee
32	La Crosse	1	Raymond Bice Sr.	Rep.	La Crosse
		2	Harry W. Schilling	Rep.	Onalaska
17	Lafayette		Martin O. Monson	Rep.	South Wayne
30	Langlade		Clair Finch	Rep.	Antigo
25	Lincoln		Emil A. Hinz	Rep.	Merrill
01	Manitowoc	1	John A. Norman	Rep.	Manitowoc
		2	Adolph Strouf	Dem.	Two Rivers
25	Marathon	1	Martin C. Lueck	Rep.	Hamburg
		2	Paul A. Luedtke	Rep.	Wausau
30	Marinette		Roy H. Sengstock	Rep.	Marinette
09	Milwaukee	1	Thomas A. Hickey	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		2	Michael F. O'Connell	Dem.	Milwaukee
08		3	Robert T. Huber	Dem.	West Allis
09		4	Frank E. Schaeffer Jr.	Dem.	Milwaukee
03		5	Casimir Kendziorski (until Apr. 5, 1949)	Dem.	Milwaukee
			--Vacant from Apr. 5, 1949--
09		6	Le Roy Simmons	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		7	John Schaller	Dem.	Milwaukee
08		8	Albert Hammond	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		9	Eugene M. Lamb	Rep.	Milwaukee
07		10	Leland McParland	Dem.	Cudahy
03		11	Ervin J. Ryczek	Dem.	Milwaukee
07		12	William Banach (res. Dec. 9, 1949)	Dem.	Milwaukee
04		13	Ralph Landowski	Dem.	Milwaukee
		14	John D. Heimick (died Jul. 23, 1949)	Rep.	Milwaukee
05		15	Raleigh W. Falbe	Rep.	Milwaukee
06		16	Edward F. Mertz	Dem.	Milwaukee
07		17	Martin F. Howard	Rep.	Milwaukee
06		18	Charles J. Schmidt	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		19	Charles F. Westfahl	Rep.	Milwaukee
08		20	Milton F. Burmaster	Rep.	Wauwatosa
31	Monroe		Alex L. Nicol	Rep.	Sparta
02	Oconto		John E. Youngs	Rep.	Oconto
14	Outagamie	1	Mark Catlin Jr.	Rep.	Appleton
		2	William M. Rohan	Rep.	Kaukauna
20	Ozaukee		Ralph Zaun	Rep.	Grafton
10	Pierce		Selmer W. Gunderson	Rep.	Spring Valley
29	Polk		Raymond A. Peabody	Rep.	Milltown
23	Portage		John Kostuck	Dem.	Stevens Point
12	Price		Vincent J. Zellinger	Rep.	Phillips
21	Racine	1	Harold Gade	Dem.	Racine
		2	Thomas C. Taylor	Dem.	Racine
		3	Glenn W. Birkett (died Apr. 13, 1950)	Rep.	Burlington
27	Richland		Vernon W. Thomson	Rep.	Richland Center
15	Rock	1	Edward Grassman	Rep.	Edgerton
		2	Burger M. Engebretson	Rep.	Beloit
12	Rusk & Sawyer		Paul J. Rogan	Rep.	Ladysmith
27	Sauk		James R. Stone	Rep.	Baraboo
14	Shawano		Robert G. Marotz	Rep.	Shawano
20	Sheboygan	1	John Schneider Jr.	Dem.	Sheboygan
		2	Henry W. Timmer	Rep.	Waldo
10	St. Croix		William A. Bergeron	Rep.	Somerset
24	Taylor		Nels Andersen	Rep.	Gilman
32	Trempealeau		Guilford M. Wiley	Rep.	Galesville
16	Vernon		Arthur O. Mockrud	Rep.	Westby
22	Walworth		Ora R. Rice	Rep.	Delavan
13	Washington		Theodore Holtebeck	Rep.	West Bend
33	Waukesha	1	Alvin J. Redford	Rep.	Waukesha
		2	Alfred R. Ludvigsen	Rep.	Hartland
23	Waupaca		Julius Spearbraker	Rep.	Clintonville
19	Winnebago	1	Harvey R. Abraham	Rep.	Oshkosh
		2	Richard J. Steffens	Rep.	Menasha
24	Wood		William W. Clark	Rep.	Vesper

Committees

Senate committees

• Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Conservation – M. Olson, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Committees – J. Miller, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – B. Gettelman, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public Welfare – R. P. Robinson, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Highways – J. Miller, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – G. W. Buchen, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Labor and Management – G. A. Bubolz, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Legislative Procedure – F. E. Panzer, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government – R. Schlabach, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs – M. Laird, chair

Assembly committees

• Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – O. R. Rice, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufacturing – E. A. Hinz, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – R. S. Travis, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – B. Tremain, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Education – W. W. Clark, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – H. W. Timmer, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – W. M. Rohan, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – T. S. Jones, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – H. R. Abraham, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – H. A. Harper, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – F. Pfennig, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – V. W. Thomson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – E. L. Genzmer, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – P. A. Luedtke, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – A. F. Betts, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – E. W. Hanson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – E. W. Hanson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – J. Spearbraker, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – B. J. Gehrmann, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – M. F. Burmaster, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – C. E. Nelson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – R. Bice, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs – M. Catlin, chair

Joint committees

• Joint Standing Committee on Finance – F. B. Porter (Sen.) & A. R. Ludvigsen (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform Laws – A. Busby (Sen.) & C. Finch (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Legislative Council – M. Laird (Sen.), chair

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: Thomas M. Donahue^[3]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harold Damon
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward R. Stoker

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: Arthur L. May^[3]
  • Assistant Chief Clerk: Robert H. Boyson
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Norris J. Kellman
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas A. Austin

Notes

1. Democrat Clement J. Zablocki (3rd District) and Republican Charles D. Madsen (29th District) resigned before the start of the session.
2. Republican Edward F. Hilker (21st District) died.
3. Democrats Casimir Kendziorski (3rd District) and John E. Olson (29th District) were sworn in.
4. Democrat Casimir Kendziorski (Milwaukee County) resigned after being elected to the Wisconsin Senate.
5. Republican John D. Heimick (Milwaukee County) died.
6. Democrat William Banach (Milwaukee County) resigned.
7. Republican Glenn W. Birkett (Racine County) died.