# 74th Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventy-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1959, to May 27, 1960, in regular session.
Senators representing odd-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 odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 4, 1958. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 6, 1956.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat Gaylord Nelson, of Dane County, serving a two-year term, having won election in the 1958 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 5, 1959: Inauguration of Gaylord Nelson as the 35th Governor of Wisconsin.
* February 16, 1959: Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba.
* April 25, 1959: The St. Lawrence Seaway opened to traffic, linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
* August 21, 1959: Hawaii was admitted as the 50th U.S. state.
* April 5, 1960: Voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to allow the state to take on debt to pay for port improvements.
* May 6, 1960: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law.
* September 14, 1960: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
* November 8, 1960: 1960 United States general election:
** John F. Kennedy (D) elected President of the United States.
** Gaylord Nelson (D) re-elected Governor of Wisconsin.
** Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to set a county and municipal debt limit of five percent of taxable property.

## Major legislation

* July 24, 1959: An Act ... relating to group health insurance and the group life insurance program for state employes, granting rule-making authority and making an appropriation, 1959 Act 211. Created group life and health insurance programs for state employees.
* July 31, 1959: An Act ... relating to the abolition of the department of budget and accounts, bureau of engineering, bureau of personnel, bureau of purchases, division of departmental research and the creation of a state department of administration, a board on government operations and making appropriations, 1959 Act 228. Created the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
* September 19, 1959: An Act ... relating to the abolition of the state planning division, division of industrial development, the creation of a department of resource development, and increasing the appropriation to the university of Wisconsin, 1959 Act 442. Created the Wisconsin Department of Resource Development.
* October 2, 1959: An Act ... relating to rights of employes of local units of government to form and join labor organizations, 1959 Act 509. Allowed Wisconsin municipal employees to unionize.
* 1959 Joint Resolution 15: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the state to take on debt to pay for port improvements. This amendment was ratified at the April 1960 election.
* 1959 Joint Resolution 32: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to set a county and municipal debt limit of five percent of taxable property. This amendment was ratified at the November 1960 election.

## Party summary
### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 10 | 22 | 32 | 1 |
| Start of Reg. Session | 13 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 39.39% | 60.61% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 13 | 20 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 33 | 66 | 99 | 1 |
| Start of Reg. Session | 55 | 45 | 100 | 0 |
| From Apr. 23, 1960 | 54 | 45 | 99 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 54.55% | 45.45% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 45 | 55 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* Regular session: January 14, 1959 – May 27, 1960

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Philleo Nash (D)
* President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer (R–Oakfield)
* Majority leader: Robert S. Travis (R–Platteville)
* Minority leader: Henry Maier (D–Milwaukee)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: George Molinaro (D–Kenosha)
* Majority leader: Keith C. Hardie (D–Taylor)
* Minority leader: David Blanchard (R–Edgerton)

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Seventy-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Door, Kewaunee, & Manitowoc | Alfred A. Laun Jr. | Kiel | Rep. |
| 02 | Brown | Leo P. O'Brien | Green Bay | Rep. |
| 03 | Milwaukee (South City) | Casimir Kendziorski | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 04 | Milwaukee (North County) | Kirby Hendee | Milwaukee | Rep. |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northwest City) | James B. Brennan | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Northeast City) | William R. Moser | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Milwaukee (South County & Southeast City) | Leland McParland | Cudahy | Dem. |
| 08 | Milwaukee (Western County) | Allen Busby | West Milwaukee | Rep. |
| 09 | Milwaukee (City Downtown) | Henry Maier | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 10 | Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, & St. Croix | Robert P. Knowles | New Richmond | Rep. |
| 11 | Milwaukee (Western City) | Richard J. Zaborski | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 12 | Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Taylor, & Vilas | Clifford Krueger | Merrill | Rep. |
| 13 | Dodge & Washington | Frank E. Panzer | Oakfield | Rep. |
| 14 | Outagamie & Waupaca | Gerald Lorge | Bear Creek | Rep. |
| 15 | Rock | Peter P. Carr | Janesville | Rep. |
| 16 | Dane (Excluding Madison) | Carl W. Thompson | Stoughton | Dem. |
| 17 | Grant, Green, Iowa, & Lafayette | Robert S. Travis | Platteville | Rep. |
| 18 | Fond du Lac, Green Lake & Waushara | Walter G. Hollander | Rosendale | Rep. |
| 19 | Calumet & Winnebago | William Draheim | Neenah | Rep. |
| 20 | Ozaukee & Sheboygan | Harold F. Huibregtse | Sheboygan Falls | Rep. |
| 21 | Racine | Lynn E. Stalbaum | Racine | Dem. |
| 22 | Kenosha & Walworth | William Trinke | Lake Geneva | Rep. |
| 23 | Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, & Washburn | Howard W. Cameron | Rice Lake | Dem. |
| 24 | Clark, Portage, & Wood | William W. Clark | Vesper | Rep. |
| 25 | Ashland, Bayfield, & Douglas | Carl Lauri | Merrill | Dem. |
| 26 | Dane (Madison) | Horace W. Wilkie | Madison | Dem. |
| 27 | Columbia, Crawford, Richland, & Sauk | Jess Miller | Richland Center | Rep. |
| 28 | Chippewa & Eau Claire | Davis A. Donnelly | Eau Claire | Dem. |
| 29 | Marathon & Shawano | Robert W. Dean | Rothschild | Dem. |
| 30 | Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, & Oconto | Reuben La Fave | Oconto | Rep. |
| 31 | Adams, Juneau, Monroe, Marquette, & Vernon | J. Earl Leverich | Sparta | Rep. |
| 32 | Jackson, La Crosse, & Trempealeau | Raymond Bice Sr. | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 33 | Jefferson & Waukesha | Chester Dempsey | Hartland | Rep. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Seventy-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate Dist. | County | Dist. | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 31 | Adams, Juneau, & Marquette | Adams, Juneau, & Marquette | Ben Tremain | Rep. | Hustler |
| 25 | Ashland & Bayfield | Ashland & Bayfield | Robert F. Barabe | Dem. | Mellen |
| 23 | Barron | Barron | George Mireau | Rep. | Rice Lake |
| 02 | Brown | 1 | Jerome Quinn | Rep. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown | 2 | Adolph A. Deering | Rep. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown | 3 | Cletus J. Vanderperren | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 10 | Buffalo, Pepin, & Pierce | Buffalo, Pepin, & Pierce | Edwin Rohl | Dem. | Prescott |
| 23 | Burnett & Polk | Burnett & Polk | Harvey L. Dueholm | Dem. | Luck |
| 19 | Calumet | Calumet | Gilbert Hipke | Rep. | New Holstein |
| 28 | Chippewa | Chippewa | Clifford E. Dorr | Dem. | Chippewa Falls |
| 24 | Clark | Clark | Frank Nikolay | Dem. | Abbotsford |
| 27 | Columbia | Columbia | Everett Bidwell | Rep. | Portage |
| 27 | Crawford & Richland | Crawford & Richland | Frank J. Cosgrove | Dem. | Richland Center |
| 26 | Dane | 1 | Glenn L. Henry | Dem. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 2 | Fred A. Risser | Dem. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Richard Cates | Dem. | Madison |
| 16 | Dane | 4 | Jerome L. Blaska | Dem. | Sun Prairie |
| 16 | Dane | 5 | David D. O'Malley | Dem. | Waunakee |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | Elmer L. Genzmer | Rep. | Mayville |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | Elmer C. Nitschke | Rep. | Beaver Dam |
| 01 | Door & Kewaunee | Door & Kewaunee | Frank N. Graass | Rep. | Sturgeon Bay |
| 25 | Douglas | 1 | Reino A. Perala | Dem. | Superior |
| 25 | Douglas | 2 | Frank Christopherson Jr. | Dem. | Superior |
| 10 | Dunn | Dunn | Einer P. Lund | Dem. | Menomonie |
| 28 | Eau Claire | 1 | Karl J. Goethel | Dem. | Eau Claire |
| 28 | Eau Claire | 2 | John T. Pritchard | Dem. | Eau Claire |
| 30 | Florence, Forest, & Langlade | Florence, Forest, & Langlade | John R. Gray | Dem. | Antigo |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | Earl F. McEssy | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Fred W. Schlueter | Rep. | Ripon |
| 17 | Grant | Grant | Hugh A. Harper | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 17 | Green | Green | Christian M. Stauffer | Rep. | Monticello |
| 18 | Green Lake & Waushara | Green Lake & Waushara | Franklin M. Jahnke | Rep. | Markesan |
| 17 | Iowa & Lafayette | Iowa & Lafayette | Walter B. Calvert | Rep. | Benton |
| 12 | Iron, Oneida, & Vilas | Iron, Oneida, & Vilas | Paul Alfonsi | Rep. | Minocqua |
| 32 | Jackson & Trempealeau | Jackson & Trempealeau | Keith C. Hardie | Dem. | Taylor |
| 33 | Jefferson | Jefferson | Byron F. Wackett | Rep. | Watertown |
| 22 | Kenosha | 1 | George Molinaro | Dem. | Kenosha |
| 22 | Kenosha | 2 | Earl D. Morton | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 32 | La Crosse | 1 | James D. H. Peterson | Rep. | La Crosse |
| 32 | La Crosse | 2 | Leland E. Mulder | Dem. | Holmen |
| 12 | Lincoln | Lincoln | Emil A. Hinz | Rep. | Merrill |
| 01 | Manitowoc | 1 | Hugo E. Vogel | Dem. | Manitowoc |
| 01 | Manitowoc | 2 | Ewald J. Schmeichel | Rep. | Two Rivers |
| 29 | Marathon | 1 | Ben A. Riehle | Dem. | Athens |
| 29 | Marathon | 2 | Paul A. Luedtke | Rep. | Wausau |
| 30 | Marinette | Marinette | Robert Haase | Rep. | Marinette |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 1 | Louis L. Merz | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 2 | Norman Sussman | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 3 | Joseph A. Greco | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 11 | Milwaukee | 4 | Frank E. Schaeffer Jr. | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 5 | Lawrence W. Timmerman | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 6 | Isaac N. Coggs | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 7 | Allen J. Flannigan | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 11 | Milwaukee | 8 | George Talsky | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 9 | Charles J. Schmidt | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 10 | Patrick H. Kelly | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 11 | Ervin J. Ryczek | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 12 | George Sokolowski | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 13 | Marty Larsen | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 14 | David Mogilka | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 15 | Wilfred Schuele | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 11 | Milwaukee | 16 | Thomas J. Duffey | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 17 | Howard F. Pellant | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 18 | Robert M. Curley (res. Apr. 23, 1960) | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 19 | Jerris Leonard | Rep. | Bayside |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 20 | Glen Pommerening | Rep. | Wauwatosa |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 21 | Robert A. Collins | Dem. | Wauwatosa |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 22 | Robert T. Huber | Dem. | West Allis |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 23 | William Luebke | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 24 | Sherman R. Sobocinski | Dem. | South Milwaukee |
| 31 | Monroe | Monroe | Kyle Kenyon | Rep. | Tomah |
| 30 | Oconto | Oconto | Lloyd R. Baumgart | Rep. | Lena |
| 14 | Outagamie | 1 | Kenneth E. Priebe | Rep. | Appleton |
| 14 | Outagamie | 2 | William T. Sullivan | Rep. | Kaukauna |
| 20 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | Warren A. Grady | Rep. | Port Washington |
| 24 | Portage | Portage | John Kostuck | Dem. | Stevens Point |
| 12 | Price & Taylor | Price & Taylor | Andrew F. Warga | Dem. | Phillips |
| 21 | Racine | 1 | Earl W. Warren | Dem. | Racine |
| 21 | Racine | 2 | Roy E. Naleid | Dem. | Racine |
| 21 | Racine | 3 | John R. Hansen | Dem. | Raymond |
| 15 | Rock | 1 | William Merriam | Rep. | Janesville |
| 15 | Rock | 2 | David Blanchard | Rep. | Edgerton |
| 15 | Rock | 3 | George B. Belting | Rep. | Beloit |
| 23 | Rusk, Sawyer, & Washburn | Rusk, Sawyer, & Washburn | Willis J. Hutnik | Rep. | Tony |
| 27 | Sauk | Sauk | Walter Terry | Rep. | Baraboo |
| 29 | Shawano | Shawano | Theodore Abrahamson | Rep. | Tigerton |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 1 | Henry A. Hillemann | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 2 | Walter Ireland | Rep. | Sheboygan |
| 10 | St. Croix | St. Croix | William W. Ward | Dem. | New Richmond |
| 16 | Vernon | Vernon | Paul Haugh | Dem. | Hillsboro |
| 22 | Walworth | Walworth | Ora R. Rice | Rep. | Delavan |
| 13 | Washington | Washington | Elmer J. Schowalter | Rep. | Jackson |
| 33 | Waukesha | 1 | Vincent R. Mathews | Dem. | Waukesha |
| 33 | Waukesha | 2 | Harold W. Clemens | Rep. | Oconomowoc |
| 14 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Richard E. Peterson | Rep. | Clintonville |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Harvey R. Abraham | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | Floyd E. Shurbert | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Arnold J. Cane | Rep. | Menasha |
| 24 | Wood | 1 | John S. Crawford | Rep. | Marshfield |
| 24 | Wood | 2 | Arthur H. Treutel | Dem. | Wisconsin Rapids |

## Committees
### Senate committees

* Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture – J. E. Leverich, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Conservation – C. Krueger, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Education – W. W. Clark, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Governmental and Veterans Affairs – L. P. O'Brien, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Highways – J. Miller, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Interstate Cooperation – F. E. Panzer, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – A. Busby, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Taxation, Insurance, and Banking – W. Trinke, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Public Welfare – P. P. Carr, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Committees – J. Miller, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Contingent Expenditures – R. Bice, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Legislative Procedure – F. E. Panzer, chair

### Assembly committees

* Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – J. T. Pritchard, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – L. L. Merz, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – H. F. Pellant, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – J. Kostuck, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Education – K. C. Hardie, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – S. R. Sobocinski, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – G. Talsky, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – E. W. Warren, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – E. J. Ryczek, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – R. T. Huber, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – G. Sokolowski, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – W. W. Ward, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – A. J. Flannigan, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – N. Sussman, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – B. A. Riehle, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – I. N. Coggs, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – D. Mogilka, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – K. C. Hardie, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – C. J. Schmidt, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – R. A. Perala, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – R. E. Naleid, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – F. Christopherson, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs – J. A. Greco, chair

### Joint committees

* Joint Standing Committee on Finance – W. Draheim (Sen.) & F. A. Risser (Asm.), co-chairs
* Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform Laws – G. Lorge (Sen.) & T. J. Duffey (Asm.), co-chairs
* Joint Legislative Council – G. Molinaro, chair

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Lawrence R. Larsen
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Harold Damon

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Norman C. Anderson
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas H. Browne