# 52nd Wisconsin Legislature

The Fifty-Second Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 13, 1915, to August 24, 1915, in regular session, and re-convened in a special session on October 10 and October 11, 1916.
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 3, 1914. 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 5, 1912.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Emanuel L. Philipp, of Milwaukee County, serving a two-year term, having won election in the 1914 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* May 7, 1915: The ocean liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk off the coast of Ireland.
* January 24, 1916: The U.S. Supreme Court decided the case Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., affirming the constitutionality of the federal income tax.
* March 8, 1916: Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa led a force across the border into the U.S. state of New Mexico, killing twelve U.S. soldiers.
* March 15, 1916: In response to the New Mexico raid, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson ordered 12,000 U.S. military personnel to cross into Mexico to hunt down Pancho Villa.
* April 4, 1916: Judge Franz C. Eschweiler was elected justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeeded William H. Timlin.
* May 4, 1916: The German Empire issued the Sussex pledge in an attempt to appease the United States over the issue of unrestricted submarine warfare.
* May 16, 1916: Following a coup in the Dominican Republic, United States marines landed in the country and began an eight-year occupation.
* May 22, 1916: The U.S. Supreme Court decided the case Wisconsin v. Phila. & Reading Coal Co., finding that Wisconsin's corporate regulations placed an unconstitutional burden on corporations operating in Wisconsin but incorporated in other states.
* June 13, 1916: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Defense Act of 1916, expanding the National Guard and creating an Officers Reserve Corps, Enlisted Reserve Corps, and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and expanding the powers of the President to federalize the National Guard.
* July 30, 1916: German saboteurs caused the Black Tom explosion in Jersey City, New Jersey, destroying an American ammunition depot and killing seven people.
* August 21, 1916: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice William H. Timlin died in office.
* August 30, 1916: Governor Emanuel L. Philipp appointed Franz C. Eschweiler to begin his term early on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, following the death of justice William H. Timlin.
* November 7, 1916: 1916 United States general election:
** Woodrow Wilson re-elected President of the United States.
** Emanuel L. Philipp re-elected Governor of Wisconsin.
** Robert M. La Follette re-elected United States senator from Wisconsin.

## Major legislation

* July 15, 1915: An Act ... abolishing the offices of state fish and game warden, state board of forestry, state conservation commission, commissioners of fisheries and the state park board, and providing for the appointment of a state conservation commission of Wisconsin, and making an appropriation, 1915 Act 406. Created the Wisconsin Conservation Commission.
* July 19, 1915: An Act ... abolishing the state board of agriculture, the state board of immigration, the board of veterinary examiners, the state live stock sanitary board, the state inspector of apiaries, the state orchard and nursery inspector and the office of state veterinarian as now established ... creating a department of agriculture, a state live stock sanitary board, the office of state entomologist, a state fair advisory board, and prescribing their powers and duties, and making an appropriation, 1915 Act 413. Created the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and transformed several other farm examination entities.

## Party summary
### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | S.D. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 7 | 1 | 24 | 32 | 1 |
| Start of 1st Session | 9 | 1 | 23 | 33 | 0 |
| From Aug. 26, 1915 | 9 | 1 | 22 | 32 | 1 |
| From Nov. 9, 1915 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 31 | 2 |
| From Sep. 25, 1916 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 30 | 3 |
| Final voting share | 33.33% | 33.33% | 66.67% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 6 | 3 | 24 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | S.D. | Ind. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 35 | 6 | 1 | 58 | 100 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 29 | 8 | 0 | 63 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 37% | 37% | 37% | 63% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 14 | 7 | 0 | 79 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 13, 1915 – August 24, 1915
* October 1916 special session: October 10, 1916 – October 11, 1916

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Edward Dithmar (R)
* President pro tempore: Edward T. Fairchild (R–Milwaukee) (until Sep. 25, 1916)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Lawrence C. Whittet (R–Edgerton)

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Fifty-Second Wisconsin Legislature:
| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Door, Kewaunee, & Marinette | M. W. Perry | Algoma | Rep. |
| 02 | Brown & Oconto | Timothy Burke | Green Bay | Rep. |
| 03 | Kenosha & Racine | Charles H. Everett | Racine | Rep. |
| 04 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | William L. Richards | Milwaukee | Rep. |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Middle-West County & Central-Western City) | Edward T. Fairchild (resigned Sep. 25, 1916) | Milwaukee | Rep. |
| --Vacant from Sep. 25, 1916-- |||
| 06 | Milwaukee (Northern City) | George Weissleder | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Milwaukee (Southern County) | Louis A. Arnold | Milwaukee | Soc.D. |
| 08 | Milwaukee (City South) | Alexander E. Martin | Milwaukee | Rep. |
| 09 | Milwaukee (City Downtown) | David V. Jennings | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 10 | Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce, & St. Croix | George B. Skogmo | River Falls | Rep. |
| 11 | Burnett, Douglas, & Washburn | Fred A. Baxter | Superior | Rep. |
| 12 | Ashland, Bayfield, Price, Rusk, & Sawyer | A. Pearce Tomkins | Ashland | Rep. |
| 13 | Dodge & Washington | Byron Barwig | Mayville | Dem. |
| 14 | Outagamie & Shawano | Henry N. Culbertson | Dale | Rep. |
| 15 | Calumet & Manitowoc | Henry Rollmann | Chilton | Dem. |
| 16 | Crawford, Grant, & Richland | Robert Glenn (died Aug. 26, 1915) | Wyalusing | Rep. |
| --Vacant from Aug. 26, 1915-- |||
| 17 | Green, Iowa, & Lafayette | Platt Whitman | Highland | Rep. |
| 18 | Fond du Lac & Green Lake | Lewis G. Kellogg | Ripon | Dem. |
| 19 | Winnebago | William M. Bray | Oshkosh | Rep. |
| 20 | Ozaukee & Sheboygan | William J. Bichler | Belgium | Dem. |
| 21 | Adams, Juneau, Marquette, & Waushara | Frank H. Hanson | Mauston | Rep. |
| 22 | Rock & Walworth | Lawrence E. Cunningham | Beloit | Rep. |
| 23 | Portage & Waupaca | Andrew R. Potts | Dayton | Rep. |
| 24 | Clark & Wood | Robert W. Monk | Neillsville | Rep. |
| 25 | Langlade & Marathon | W. W. Albers | Wausau | Dem. |
| 26 | Dane | Henry Huber | Stoughton | Rep. |
| 27 | Columbia & Sauk | George Staudenmayer | Caledonia | Dem. |
| 28 | Chippewa, & Eau Claire | Edward Ackley | Chippewa Falls | Rep. |
| 29 | Barron, Dunn, & Polk | George E. Scott (died Nov. 9, 1915) | Prairie Farm | Rep. |
| —Vacant from Nov. 9, 1915-- |||
| 30 | Florence, Forest, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Taylor, & Vilas | Willard T. Stevens | Rhinelander | Rep. |
| 31 | Jackson, Monroe, & Vernon | J. Henry Bennett | Viroqua | Rep. |
| 32 | La Crosse & Trempealeau | Otto Bosshard | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 33 | Jefferson & Waukesha | Charles Mulberger | Watertown | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Fifty-Second Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate Dist. | County | Dist. | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 21 | Adams & Marquette | Adams & Marquette | Frank L. McGowan | Rep. | Endeavor |
| 12 | Ashland | Ashland | Charles Kleinsteiber | Rep. | Butternut |
| 29 | Barron | Barron | James R. Beckwith | Rep. | Barron |
| 12 | Bayfield | Bayfield | Walter A. Duffy | Rep. | |
| 02 | Brown | 1 | Nicholas Feldhausen | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown | 2 | Henry J. Janssen | Dem. | De Pere |
| 10 | Buffalo & Pepin | Buffalo & Pepin | John J. Morgan | Rep. | Durand |
| 11 | Burnett & Washburn | Burnett & Washburn | Hans M. Laursen | Rep. | Shell Lake |
| 15 | Calumet | Calumet | Henry W. Hoffman | Dem. | Stockbridge |
| 28 | Chippewa | Chippewa | Western Woodard | Rep. | Bloomer |
| 24 | Clark | Clark | Emery Crosby | Rep. | Neillsville |
| 27 | Columbia | Columbia | Robert Caldwell | Rep. | Arlington |
| 16 | Crawford | Crawford | Cyrus L. Lathrop | Dem. | Wauzeka |
| 26 | Dane | 1 | John B. Heim | Dem. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 2 | William Nelson | Rep. | Deerfield |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Thomas A. Stewart | Dem. | Verona |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | Charles Lentz | Dem. | Herman |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | Joseph Biel | Dem. | Westford |
| 01 | Door | Door | Fred S. Hanson | Rep. | Sturgeon Bay |
| 11 | Douglas | 1 | David L. Dobie | Rep. | |
| 11 | Douglas | 2 | Ray J. Nye | Rep. | Superior |
| 29 | Dunn | Dunn | Carl Pieper | Rep. | Menomonie |
| 28 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire | John E. Ofstie | Rep. | Eau Claire |
| 30 | Florence, Forest, & Oneida | Florence, Forest, & Oneida | Bernard N. Moran | Rep. | Rhinelander |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | Christian Pickart | Dem. | Marshfield |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Charles Van de Zande | Rep. | Campbellsport |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | Allen Wells | Rep. | Livingston |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Edward Heathcote | Rep. | Fennimore |
| 17 | Green | Green | S. A. Schindler | Rep. | New Glarus |
| 18 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Newcomb Spoor | Rep. | Berlin |
| 17 | Iowa | Iowa | Thomas G. Cretney | Rep. | Ridgeway |
| 30 | Iron & Vilas | Iron & Vilas | Edward A. Everett | Rep. | Eagle River |
| 31 | Jackson | Jackson | B. L. Van Gorden | Rep. | |
| 33 | Jefferson | 1 | H. J. Grell | Rep. | Johnson Creek |
| 33 | Jefferson | 2 | Nelson H. Falk | Dem. | Lake Mills |
| 21 | Juneau | Juneau | H. J. Mortensen | Rep. | Elroy |
| 03 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Edward J. Vincent | Rep. | |
| 01 | Kewaunee | Kewaunee | William H. O'Brien | Dem. | Franklin |
| 32 | La Crosse | 1 | Carl Kurtenecker | Rep. | La Crosse |
| 32 | La Crosse | 2 | Henry Freehoff | Rep. | Greenfield |
| 17 | Lafayette | Lafayette | Julius M. Engebretson | Rep. | Wiota |
| 25 | Langlade | Langlade | Edward Nordman | Dem. | Polar |
| 30 | Lincoln | Lincoln | F. W. Kubasta | Rep. | Merrill |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 1 | Carl Hansen | Dem. | Manitowoc |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 2 | Peter J. Murphy | Dem. | Cato |
| 25 | Marathon | 1 | Chris Franzen | Dem. | Day |
| 25 | Marathon | 2 | Edward C. Kretlow | Dem. | Wausau |
| 01 | Marinette | Marinette | Charles A. Budlong | Rep. | |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 1 | Jacob J. Killa | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 2 | Frank E. Waldron | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 09 | Milwaukee | 3 | John P. Donnelly | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 4 | Carl Minkley | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 5 | Charles J. Stemper | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | A. J. Hedding | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 7 | Edward Zinn | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 8 | Frank Kubatzki | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 9 | Herman O. Kent | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 10 | Frank J. Weber | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 11 | James Vint | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 08 | Milwaukee | 12 | William L. Smith | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 13 | Christoph Paulus | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 14 | George L. Tews | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 15 | George Reinhardt | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 16 | William A. Schroeder | Rep. | Wauwatosa |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 17 | Frank Metcalfe | Soc.D. | Milwaukee |
| 04 | Milwaukee | 18 | Frank L. Prescott | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 19 | Henry S. Berninger | Rep. | West Allis |
| 31 | Monroe | Monroe | A. E. Frederick | Rep. | Kendall |
| 02 | Oconto | Oconto | Arthur J. Whitcomb | Rep. | |
| 14 | Outagamie | 1 | Clinton B. Ballard | Rep. | Grand Chute |
| 14 | Outagamie | 2 | Charles F. Ploeger | Rep. | Seymour |
| 20 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | Eugene J. Poole | Dem. | Cedarburg |
| 10 | Pierce | Pierce | William A. Kay | Rep. | |
| 29 | Polk | Polk | Axel Johnson | Rep. | Apple River |
| 23 | Portage | Portage | Anton C. Krembs | Dem. | Stevens Point |
| 12 | Price | Price | August Heden | Rep. | Ogema |
| 03 | Racine | 1 | John Dixon | Rep. | Racine |
| 03 | Racine | 2 | Henry Herzog | Dem. | Mount Pleasant |
| 28 | Richland | Richland | J. B. Jenson | Rep. | Westford |
| 22 | Rock | 1 | Lawrence C. Whittet | Rep. | Edgerton |
| 22 | Rock | 2 | Albert J. Winegar | Rep. | Beloit |
| 12 | Rusk & Sawyer | Rusk & Sawyer | Christian Ellingson | Rep. | |
| 27 | Sauk | Sauk | Robert B. Dickie | Rep. | North Freedom |
| 14 | Shawano | Shawano | Julius Hanson | Rep. | Navarino |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 1 | Otto C. Neumeister | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 2 | R. B. Melvin | Rep. | |
| 10 | St. Croix | St. Croix | W. C. Bradley | Dem. | |
| 30 | Taylor | Taylor | John Gamper | Dem. | Medford |
| 32 | Trempealeau | Trempealeau | John F. Hager | Rep. | Whitehall |
| 31 | Vernon | Vernon | Henry Rentz | Rep. | Westby |
| 23 | Walworth | Walworth | George L. Harrington | Rep. | Elkhorn |
| 13 | Washington | Washington | Jacob J. Aulenbacher | Rep. | Richfield |
| 33 | Waukesha | 1 | J. J. G. Laing | Dem. | Waukesha |
| 33 | Waukesha | 2 | W. H. Edwards | Rep. | Sussex |
| 23 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Fred Hess | Rep. | Clintonville |
| 21 | Waushara | Waushara | George M. Byse | Rep. | Wautoma |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Arthur H. Gruenewald | Dem. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | William Arnemann | Rep. | Neenah |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Charles F. Hart | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 24 | Wood | Wood | George Hambrecht | Rep. | Grand Rapids |

## Committees
### Senate committees

* Senate Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – R. W. Monk, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Corporations – O. Bosshard, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public Welfare – M. W. Perry, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – T. Burke, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on Legislative Procedure – E. Fairchild, chair
* Senate Standing Committee on State Affairs – W. T. Stevens, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Committees – T. Burke, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Conservation – E. Ackley, chair
* Senate Special Committee on Highways – W. J. Bichler, chair

### Assembly committees

* Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – H. J. Grell, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – C. K. Ellingson, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – F. Hess, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Education – S. A. Schindler, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – C. Paulus, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – E. Heathcote, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – D. L. Dobie, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – J. M. Engebretson, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Fish and Game – B. N. Moran, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – H. M. Laursen, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – G. P. Hambrecht, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – A. J. Winegar, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – R. J. Nye, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – C. Pieper, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – W. A. Kay, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – F. S. Hanson, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – L. C. Whittet, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – Ax. Johnson, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – G. Harrington, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – H. S. Berninger, chair
* Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – E. A. Everett, chair
* Assembly Special Committee on Rules – L. C. Whittet, chair

### Joint committees

* Joint Standing Committee on Finance – G. E. Scott (Sen.) & F. W. Kubasta (Asm.), co-chairs
* Joint Special Committee on Investigations of State Boards and Commissions – E. Fairchild (Sen.), chair

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Oliver G. Munson
** Assistant Chief Clerk: C. E. Mullen
** Journal Clerk: W. N. Mackin
*** Assistant Journal Clerk: James B. Ackley
** Bookkeeper: Carle E. Dietze
*** Assistant Bookkeeper: Henry C. Priester
** Engrossing Clerk: A. J. Nelson
** Index Clerk: L. H. Cannon
** Revision Clerk: D. J. Hotchkiss
** Clerk of the Committee on Corporations: A. C. Miller
** Clerk of the Committee on Education and Public Welfare: R. H. Hillyer
** Clerk of the Committee on Finance: Arthur F. Steffen
** Clerk of the Committee on Highways: L. G. Vogt
** Clerk of the Committee on the Judiciary: Paul C. Bode
** Clerk of the Committee on State Affairs: A. A. Heinrich
** Stenographic Reporter: Roy E. Gordon
** Stenographers:
*** E. L. Stapleton
*** Albert R. Millett
*** W. J. Van Den Berg
** Mailing Clerk: E. G. Cooper
* Sergeant-at-Arms: F. E. Andrews
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Edward F. McCarthy
** Document Clerk: Emil Hartman
** Day Police: Edward J. Samp
** Night Police: Archibald McQuarrie
** Gallery Police: Albert Daley
** Night Laborers:
*** Arlie M. Mucks
*** Stewart S. Williams
* Postmaster: Frank E. Riley
** Messengers:
*** John Lorigan
*** Robert Kilgust
*** H. B. Haley
*** Harvey C. Hartwig
*** Herbert N. Marsh
*** Orin F. Neibuhr
*** Robert A. Cobban
*** Merlin Conley
*** Paul W. Dietz
*** John E. McNeil

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: C. E. Shaffer
** Journal Clerk: W. W. Jones
*** Assistant Journal Clerk: Charles E. Tuffley
** Bookkeeper: W. J. Goldschmidt
*** Assistant Bookkeeper: J. C. Hawker
** General Clerks:
*** W. F. Bart
*** M. B. Pinkerton
** Index Clerk: Paul M. Brown
** Proofreaders and Enrolling Clerks:
*** H. E. Whipple
*** Geo. F. Sharpe
** Mailing Clerk: Edwin L. Shaffer
** Stenographers:
*** W. E. Kirk
*** A. H. Gardiner
*** Alvah V. Gruhn
*** C. E. Thayer
*** N. E. Lummerding
*** M. B. Allison
*** Norman L. Anderson
*** G. E. Wuensch
*** L. M. Mielke
*** Frank Robotka
*** Henry G. Lee
*** William Sneeberger
*** Louis G. Meisenheimer
** Typists:
*** L. L. Oeland
*** Harry J. Campaign
*** Emil Lusthaus
*** P. J. Knippel
* Sergeant-at-Arms: William S. Irvine
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Olaf Goldstrand
** Document Room Custodian: Helmer O. Femrite
*** Assistant Document Room Custodian: John D. Morner
** Floor Police: Ernest F. Wright
** Cloak Room Attendant: Peter Duex
** Gallery Police:
*** Elmer R. Meacham
*** C. H. Sanderson
** Cloak Room Attendant: Martin Olson
** Night Laborer: Hilding E. Anderson
** Night Watch: C. C. Fenn
* Postmaster: Geo. M. Emerich
** Post Office Messenger: Julius O. Hembre
** Messengers:
*** Frank P. Vogt
*** Meade Durbrow
*** Helmer Hembre
*** M. M. Arnold
*** R. L. Jacobson
*** John W. Holm
*** George R. Qualey
*** B. C. Wilcox
*** A. H. Emerson
*** C. A. Meister
*** L. F. Greeley
*** Benjamin Glass
*** Paul W. Lappley
*** Orville Radke