# William H. Dieterich (judge)

William Herbert Dieterich (December 18, 1897 – July 23, 1964) was an attorney and jurist from Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1959 until his death in 1964.

## Early life

He was born at his father's farm in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 during World War I. He helped found the American Legion.
After the war was over, he went to college at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Montana and later to law school at Marquette University Law School. He passed his bar exam in 1923 to become a lawyer.

## Career

He served as a trial attorney in Milwaukee and Washington Counties for 36 years. He lost several elections for Wisconsin's Attorney General and Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Dieterich was first elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1958, when he defeated Emmert L. Wingert in 1958 to become a Justice. In 1961, he convinced the Wisconsin Legislature to employ law clerks for the Supreme Court.

## Personal life

He had a son William H. Dieterich III with his wife Kathryn Block. Dieterich died on July 23, 1964.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Attorney General (1948)

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1948 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Primary Election, September 21, 1948 ||||||
| | Republican | Donald J. Martin | 154,128 | 36.75% | |
| | Republican | William H. Dieterich | 104,187 | 24.84% | |
| | Democratic | Thomas E. Fairchild | 97,435 | 23.23% | |
| | Republican | Frank X. Didier | 27,316 | 6.51% | |
| | Republican | Grover L. Broadfoot (incumbent) | 26,572 | 6.34% | |
| | Progressive | Michael Essin | 6,180 | 1.47% | |
| | Socialist | Anna Mae Davis | 3,606 | 0.86% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '419,424' | '100.0%' | |
| General Election, November 2, 1948 ||||||
| | Democratic | Thomas E. Fairchild | 622,312 | 50.67% | +21.96% |
| | Republican | Donald J. Martin | 583,298 | 47.49% | −22.47% |
| | Progressive | Michael Essin | 11,908 | 0.97% | |
| | Socialist | Anna Mae Davis | 10,641 | 0.87% | −0.46% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '1,228,159' | '100.0%' | +25.88% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### Wisconsin Supreme Court (1956, 1958)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1956 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Primary Election, March 6, 1956 ||||||
| | Independent | Thomas E. Fairchild | 250,442 | 71.77% |
| | Independent | William H. Dieterich | 68,288 | 19.57% |
| | Independent | Clair L. Finch | 30,244 | 8.67% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '348,974' | '100.0%' |
| General Election, April 3, 1956 ||||||
| | Independent | Thomas E. Fairchild | 574,429 | 77.59% |
| | Independent | William H. Dieterich | 165,953 | 22.41% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '740,382' | '100.0%' |
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1958 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, April 1, 1958 ||||||
| | Independent | William H. Dieterich | 232,955 | 52.43% | +30.02% |
| | Independent | Emmert L. Wingert (incumbent) | 211,319 | 47.57% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '444,274' | '100.0%' | -41.32% |