# James Flynn (politician)

James T. Flynn (born September 25, 1944) is an American lawyer and retired politician. He was the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, serving from 1983 to 1987. Prior to that, he served ten years in the Wisconsin State Senate.

## Biography

Flynn graduated from Pius XI High School in Milwaukee. He earned a B.A. degree from Marquette University in 1970 and a J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School in 1973. He worked as a house painter and subsequently as a teacher, serving at nearby St. Rose of Lima School in Milwaukee. Flynn was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate as a Democrat in 1972, and was re-elected in 1976 and 1980.
He won the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor in September 1982 and went on to win election alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Earl. He held office from 1983 until 1987; In January 1983, he was appointed and simultaneously served as the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Development. He did not run for re-election in 1986. After he left office, he retired from politics and took a job as a project development executive with American Medical Buildings.
Flynn ran for a judgeship on the Wisconsin Circuit Court in Milwaukee County in 1999, but was defeated by incumbent Judge John E. McCormick.
In 2003, he was appointed to the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission by Governor Jim Doyle, and he was reappointed as chairman in 2005. His term expired in 2011.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1982)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 1982 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, September 14, 1982 ||||||
| | Republican | Russell Olson (incumbent) | 276,496 | 36.77% | |
| | Democratic | James T. Flynn | 259,638 | 34.52% | |
| | Democratic | Wayne P. Frank | 150,592 | 20.02% | |
| | Democratic | Jack H. Gleason | 62,022 | 8.25% | |
| | Libertarian | Gerald Shidell | 1,766 | 0.23% | |
| | Constitution | Diana K. Simonson | 1,526 | 0.20% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '752,040' | '100.0%' | |
| Gubernatorial General Election, November 2, 1982 ||||||
| | Democratic | Tony Earl James T. Flynn | 896,872 | 56.75% | +11.86% |
| | Republican | Terry Kohler Russell Olson (incumbent) | 662,738 | 41.94% | −12.43% |
| | Libertarian | Larry Smiley Gerald Shidell | 9,734 | 0.62% | |
| | Constitution | James P. Wickstrom Diana K. Simonson | 7,721 | 0.49% | +0.07% |
| | Independent | Peter Seidman Margo Storsteen | 3,025 | 0.19% | |
| | | Scattering | 254 | 0.02% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '1,580,344' | '100.0%' | +5.29% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### Wisconsin Circuit Court (1999)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 19 Election, 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, April 6, 1999 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | John E. McCormick (incumbent) | 49,600 | 55.86% | |
| | Nonpartisan | James Flynn | 39,195 | 44.14% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '88,795' | '100.0%' | -10.86% |