75th Wisconsin Legislature explained

The Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session. This was the first time that the legislative session was kept open for the entire term of the legislature.^[1]

This session represents the second time the Legislature failed to pass a redistricting act on schedule. Ultimately, the legislature and governor would not be able to agree on a redistricting act in the 1960s, and for the first time in state history, the maps would be drawn by the Wisconsin Supreme Court (in 1964).

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 8, 1960. 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 4, 1958.^[1]

Major events

• January 2, 1961: Second inauguration of Gaylord Nelson as Governor of Wisconsin.
• January 20, 1961: Inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States.
• January 25, 1961: John F. Kennedy delivered the first live televised press conference by a U.S. president.
• March 1, 1961: U.S. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order.
• March 29, 1961: The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution came into force after it was ratified by the requisite number of states.
• April 4, 1961: 1961 Wisconsin spring election:
  • Myron L. Gordon was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed John E. Martin.
  • Wisconsin voters approved four amendments to the state constitution:
    • Directing the legislature to set a plan for continuity of government.
    • Establishing taxation rules for commercial stock and property.
    • Allowing the legislature to set rules for municipal eminent domain seizures and removing a jury from the process.
    • Allowing an additional 10% municipal indebtedness for school purposes in districts that offer all levels of primary schooling.
  • Wisconsin voters also rejected two amendments to the state constitution:
    • Allowing sheriffs to serve successive terms. This was the fifth failed attempt to remove or alter these term limits for sheriffs.
    • Allowing the legislature to vote a pay increase for the same session of the legislature.
• April 12, 1961: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, piloting the Vostok 1 mission.
• April 19, 1961: The Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba ended in failure.
• May 5, 1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, piloting the Mercury-Redstone 3.
• May 25, 1961: At a joint session of congress, U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced his goal to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
• August 13, 1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall began.
• November 18, 1962: U.S. President John F. Kennedy ordered 18,000 U.S. military advisors to South Vietnam.
• December 31, 1961: The Green Bay Packers won the 1961 NFL Championship Game.
• January 1, 1962: Grover L. Broadfoot became the 17th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court by rule of seniority, at the expiration of the term of justice John E. Martin.
• May 18, 1962: Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice Grover L. Broadfoot died in office. Justice Timothy Brown became the 18th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court due to the rule of seniority.
• October 28, 1962: Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that he ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• November 6, 1962: 1962 United States general election:
  • John W. Reynolds Jr. (D) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • Gaylord Nelson (D) elected United States senator from Wisconsin.
  • Wisconsin voters approved three amendments to the state constitution:
    • Removing the exemption for "indians not taxed" from the legislative apportionment rules.
    • Allowing the legislature to create the office of county executive for counties with more than 500,000 residents (only Milwaukee County).
    • Establishing the rules of the veto power for the county executive.
• December 23, 1962: Wisconsin Assembly speaker David Blanchard died in office.
• December 30, 1962: The Green Bay Packers won the 1962 NFL Championship Game.

Major legislation

• 1961 Joint Resolution 8: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow an additional 10% municipal indebtedness for school purposes in districts that offer all levels of primary schooling. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 9: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow sheriffs to serve successive terms. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 10: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to create section 34 of article IV, directing the legislature to create a plan for continuity of government in the event of an emergency. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 11: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow legislators to change their own salary within the same session. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 12: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to set new rules for municipal eminent domain acquisitions, and removing the constitutional requirement for a jury verdict in such cases. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 13: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to add rules for taxation of commercial goods and property. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 32: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove exemption of "indians not taxed" from the legislative apportionment rules. This amendment was ratified by voters at the November 1962 election.
• 1961 Joint Resolution 64: Second legislative passage of two proposed amendments to the state constitution to allow the legislature to establish the office of county executive for any county with a population over five hundred thousand (at the time, only Milwaukee County fit this criterion). The amendment also proposed a veto power for the county executive over the acts of the county board, including a powerful partial veto for appropriations. Both amendments were ratified by voters at the November 1962 election.

Party summary

Senate summary

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Dem.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	13		20	33	0
Start of Reg. Session	13	20	33	0
From Apr. 29, 1961[2]	12		32	1
From Dec. 22, 1961[3]	11		31	2
From Feb. 1, 1962[4]	10		30	3
Final voting share
Beginning of the next Legislature	11		22	33	0

Assembly summary

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Dem.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature		54	45	99	1
Start of Reg. Session	45	55	100	0
From Sep. 1, 1961[5]	44		99	1
From Dec. 23, 1962[6]			54	98	2
Final voting share
Beginning of the next Legislature	47		52	99	1

Sessions

• Regular session: January 11, 1961January 9, 1963

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: Warren P. Knowles (R)
• President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer (R–Oakfield)
• Majority leader: Robert S. Travis (R–Platteville)
• Minority leader: William R. Moser (D–Milwaukee)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: David Blanchard (R–Edgerton)
• Speaker pro tempore: Willis J. Hutnik (R–Tony)
• Majority leader: Robert Haase (R–Marinette)
• Minority leader: Robert T. Huber (D–West Allis)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:^[7]

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Door, Kewaunee,		Kiel		Rep.
02	Brown		Green Bay		Rep.
03	Milwaukee (South City)		Milwaukee		Dem.
04	Milwaukee (North County)		Milwaukee		Rep.
05			Milwaukee		Dem.
		--Vacant from Apr. 29, 1961--
06			Milwaukee		Dem.
07	Milwaukee (South County		Cudahy		Dem.
08			West Milwaukee		Rep.
09			Milwaukee		Dem.
10	Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce,		New Richmond		Rep.
11	Milwaukee (Western City)		Milwaukee		Dem.
12	Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Taylor,		Merrill		Rep.
13			Oakfield		Rep.
14			Bear Creek		Rep.
15	Rock		Janesville		Rep.
16	Dane (Excluding Madison)		Stoughton		Dem.
17	Grant, Green, Iowa,		Platteville		Rep.
18	,		Rosendale		Rep.
19			Neenah		Rep.
20			Sheboygan Falls		Rep.
21	Racine		Racine		Dem.
22			Kenosha		Rep.
23	Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer,		Rice Lake		Dem.
24	Clark, Portage,		Port Edwards		Rep.
25	Ashland, Bayfield,		Superior		Dem.
26	Dane (Madison)		Madison		Dem.
27	Columbia, Crawford, Richland,		Richland Center		Rep.
28			Eau Claire		Dem.
29	Marathon, Menominee,		Rothschild		Dem.
30	Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette,		Oconto		Rep.
31	Adams, Juneau, Monroe, Marquette,		Sparta		Rep.
32	Jackson, La Crosse,		La Crosse		Rep.
33			Hartland		Rep.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:^[7]

Senate Dist.	County	Dist.	Representative	Party	Residence
31	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Adams, Juneau,			Rep.	Adams
25	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Dem.	Mellen
23	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Barron			Rep.	Cumberland
02	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Brown	1			Rep.	Green Bay
	2			Rep.	Green Bay
	3			Dem.	Green Bay
10	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Buffalo, Pepin,			Rep.	Mondovi
23	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Dem.	Luck
19	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Calumet			Rep.	New Holstein
28	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Chippewa			Dem.	Chippewa Falls
24	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Clark			Dem.	Abbotsford
27	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Columbia			Rep.	Portage
	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Richland Center
26	text-align="left" rowspan="5"	Dane	1			Dem.	Madison
	2			Dem.	Madison
	3			Rep.	Madison
16	4			Dem.	Sun Prairie
	5			Dem.	Waunakee
13	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Dodge	1			Rep.	Mayville
	2			Rep.	Beaver Dam
01	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Algoma
25	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Douglas	1			Dem.	Superior
	2			Dem.	Superior
10	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Dunn			Rep.	Menomonie
28	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Eau Claire	1			Rep.	Eau Claire
	2			Dem.	Eau Claire
30	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Florence, Forest,			Dem.	Antigo
18	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Fond du Lac	1			Rep.	Fond du Lac
	2			Rep.	Ripon
17	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Grant			Rep.	Lancaster
	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Green			Rep.	Monticello
18	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Markesan
17	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Benton
12	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Iron, Oneida,			Rep.	Minocqua
32	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Black River Falls
33	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Jefferson			Rep.	Watertown
22	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Kenosha	1			Dem.	Kenosha
	2			Rep.	Randall
32	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	La Crosse	1			Rep.	La Crosse
	2			Rep.	West Salem
12	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Merrill
01	Manitowoc	1			Dem.	Manitowoc
		2			Dem.	Two Rivers
29	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Marathon	1			Dem.	Athens
	2			Rep.	Wausau
30	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Marinette			Rep.	Marinette
04	text-align="left" rowspan="24"	Milwaukee	1			Dem.	Milwaukee
09	2			Dem.	Milwaukee
	3			Dem.	Milwaukee
11	4			Dem.	Milwaukee
05	5			Dem.	Milwaukee
09	6			Dem.	Milwaukee
06	7			Dem.	Milwaukee
11	8			Dem.	Milwaukee
05	9			Dem.	Milwaukee
06	10			Dem.	Milwaukee
03	11			Dem.	Milwaukee
	12			Dem.	Milwaukee
06	13			Dem.	Milwaukee
03	14			Dem.	Milwaukee
05	15			Dem.	Milwaukee
11	16			Dem.	Milwaukee
07	17			Dem.	Milwaukee
04	18			Dem.	Milwaukee
	19			Rep.	Whitefish Bay
08	20			Rep.	Wauwatosa
	21			Dem.	Wauwatosa
	22			Dem.	West Allis
07	23			Dem.	West Allis
	24			Dem.	South Milwaukee
31	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Monroe			Rep.	Tomah
30	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Oconto			Rep.	Lena
14	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Outagamie	1			Rep.	Appleton
	2			Rep.	Seymour
20	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Ozaukee			Rep.	Thiensville
24	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Portage			Dem.	Stevens Point
12	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Phillips
21	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Racine	1			Dem.	Racine
	2			Dem.	Racine
	3			Rep.	Waterford
15	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Rock	1			Rep.	Janesville
	2			Rep.	Edgerton
	3			Rep.	Beloit
23	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Rusk, Sawyer,			Rep.	Tony
27	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Sauk			Rep.	Baraboo
29	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Tigerton
20	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Sheboygan	1			Dem.	Sheboygan
	2			Rep.	Elkhart Lake
10	text-align="left" colspan="2"	St. Croix			Dem.	New Richmond
16	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Vernon			Rep.	Viroqua
22	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Walworth			Rep.	Delavan
13	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Washington			Rep.	Jackson
33	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Waukesha	1			Dem.	Waukesha
	2			Rep.	Oconomowoc
14	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Waupaca			Rep.	Clintonville
19	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Winnebago	1			Rep.	Oshkosh
	2			Rep.	Oshkosh
	3			Rep.	Menasha
24	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Wood	1			Rep.	Marshfield
	2			Rep.	Wisconsin Rapids

Committees

Senate committees

• Senate Standing Committee on AgricultureJ. E. Leverich, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on ConservationC. Krueger, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on EducationP. P. Carr, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Governmental and Veterans Affairs, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on HighwaysJ. Miller, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Interstate CooperationF. E. Panzer, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on the JudiciaryA. Busby, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Taxation, Insurance, and BankingA. A. Laun, chair
• Senate Standing Committee on Public WelfareR. Bice, chair
• Senate Special Committee on CommitteesC. Dempsey, chair
• Senate Special Committee on Contingent Expenditures, chair
• Senate Special Committee on Legislative ProcedureF. E. Panzer, chair

Assembly committees

• Assembly Standing Committee on AgricultureW. Merriam, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and ManufacturesG. Hipke, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on ConservationP. Alfonsi, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent ExpendituresL. R. Baumgart, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on EducationW. B. Calvert, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on ElectionsG. Pommerening, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed BillsE. J. Schowalter, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled BillsV. J. Zellinger, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and FeesF. E. Shurbert, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on HighwaysH. A. Harper, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and BankingK. E. Priebe, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on the JudiciaryR. E. Peterson, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on LaborE. L. Genzmer, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on MunicipalitiesP. A. Luedtke, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on PrintingM. C. Kintz, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Public WelfareW. Terry, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on RevisionW. E. Owen, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on RulesR. Haase, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on State AffairsW. J. Hutnik, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on TaxationG. B. Belting, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Third ReadingC. M. Stauffer, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on TransportationB. Lewison, chair
• Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military AffairsK. Kenyon, chair

Joint committees

• Joint Standing Committee on FinanceW. Draheim (Sen.) & E. Bidwell (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform LawsG. Lorge (Sen.) & R. Uehling (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Legislative CouncilD. Blanchard, chair

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: Lawrence R. Larsen^[8]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harold E. Damon

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: Robert G. Marotz^[8]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Norris J. Kellman

External links

• 1961: Related Documents from Wisconsin Legislature

Notes and References

1. State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2021–2022 . 2021 . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau . 978-1-7333817-1-0 . Barish . Lawrence S. . Lemanski . Lynn . https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2021_2022/160_historical_lists.pdf . Historical Lists . 468, 471, 475, 479–480 . August 5, 2023 .
2. Democrat James B. Brennan (5th District) resigned to accept appointment as U.S. attorney.
3. Democrat Carl Lauri (25th District) resigned to accept appointment to Wisconsin Industrial Commission.
4. Democrat William R. Moser (6th District) resigned to accept appointment as a county judge.
5. Democrat Henry A. Hillemann (Sheboygan County) resigned to accept appointment as executive secretary of the Wisconsin Judicial Council.
6. Republican speaker David Blanchard (Rock County) died.
7. The Wisconsin Blue Book 1962 . . 1962 . Toepel . M. G. . Theobald . H. Rupert . Biographies . 19–66 . October 11, 2023 .
8. The Wisconsin Blue Book 1962 . . 1962 . Toepel . M. G. . Theobald . H. Rupert . Legislative Branch . 358-370 . October 11, 2023 .