Connor Hansen

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The Honorable
Connor T. Hansen
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
March 13, 1967 – July 31, 1980
Appointed byWarren P. Knowles
Preceded byMyron L. Gordon
Succeeded byDonald W. Steinmetz
County Judge of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Branch 1
In office
June 3, 1958 – March 13, 1967
Appointed byVernon Wallace Thomson
Preceded byMerrill R. Farr
Succeeded byThomas H. Barland
District Attorney of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1939 – June 18, 1943
Preceded byVictor O. Tronsdal
Succeeded byJohn D. Kaiser
Chairman of the Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Board of Supervisors
In office
April 1949 – April 1951
Preceded byGeorge H. Zetzman
Succeeded byHenry Graff
Member of the Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Board of Supervisors
In office
April 15, 1947 – January 1952
Personal details
Born
Connor Theodore Hansen

(1913-11-01)November 1, 1913
Freeman, South Dakota
DiedAugust 21, 1987(1987-08-21) (aged 73)
University of Wisconsin Hospital
Madison, Wisconsin
Resting placeRock Lake Cemetery
Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Annette Ferry
​
(died 2006)​
ChildrenAnnette, Peter, David, Jane
Education

Connor Theodore Hansen (November 1, 1913 – August 21, 1987) was an American lawyer, jurist, and Republican politician from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 13 years, from 1967 until 1980. Earlier in his career, he served as county judge and district attorney of Eau Claire County, and worked as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation during World War II.

Early life and education[edit]

He was born in Freeman, South Dakota, and was educated in the Eau Claire public schools, graduating from Eau Claire High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Eau Claire State Teachers College in 1934 (now the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire), and immediately went on to University of Wisconsin Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 1937.[1][2]

Legal and political career[edit]

After briefly practicing law in Eau Claire, in 1938, Hansen declared his candidacy for district attorney of Eau Claire County.[3] Despite being only 24 years old, Hansen won the Republican Party primary election, defeating former district attorney Curt W. Augustine, and went on to win the general election, defeating incumbent district attorney, Progressive Victor O. Tronsdal.[4] Hansen was subsequently re-elected in 1940 and 1942.

A few months into his third term, however, he resigned as district attorney to accept a position as special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[5] He completed his service with the FBI and returned to Eau Claire in late 1944, and formed a law partnership with his former assistant district attorney, John D. Kaiser.[6]

In 1945, Hansen returned to public office when he was appointed circuit court commissioner for Eau Claire County by 19th circuit judge Clarence E. Rinehard, and would continue in that role until his appointment as County Judge in 1958.[7] He was elected to office as a member of the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors in 1947, and would remain on the board until 1952, serving as chairman in 1949 and 1950.

He was a strong supporter of former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen in his campaign for the Republican nomination for president in 1948, and was elected as a Stassen delegate to the 1948 Republican National Convention. That same year, he attempted a run for United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 9th congressional district. He fell far short of incumbent Merlin Hull in the Republican primary, however.[8]

Judicial career[edit]

Due to his role as circuit court commissioner, between 1945 and 1957, Hansen frequently served as acting County Judge in place of Judge Merrill R. Farr, when he was recused from cases or otherwise absent.[7] In 1958, Hansen ran against Judge Farr for the Wisconsin Circuit Court seat in the newly created 24th circuit, but lost badly in the April general election.[9] With Judge Farr vacating the County Judge seat, however, Hansen was appointed as his replacement by Governor Vernon Wallace Thomson, taking office in June 1958.[10] His appointment was overwhelmingly confirmed in the April 1959 election for a full term as county judge.[11] He was unopposed seeking re-election in 1965.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Myron L. Gordon for a newly created seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Following his confirmation in March, Wisconsin Governor Warren P. Knowles chose Judge Hansen as Gordon's successor on the state's highest court.[12] He was subsequently elected to a full ten-year term in 1970, without opposition.[13][14]

Personal life and family[edit]

Connor Hansen married Annette Phillips Ferry in on June 17, 1939. Annette was a great granddaughter of Jonathan Phillips, an early settler at Lake Mills, Wisconsin, and, at the time of the wedding, her family was known as one of the most prominent families in southern Wisconsin.[15] Together, they had four children—Annette, Peter, David, and Jane.

Justice Hansen died at Madison's University Hospital on August 21, 1987.[16]

Electoral history[edit]

Eau Claire District Attorney (1938, 1940, 1942)[edit]

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1938 Primary[17] Sep. 20 Connor T. Hansen Republican 2,083 70.23% Curt W. Augustine Rep. 883 29.77% 2,966 1,200
General[18] Nov. 8 Connor T. Hansen Republican 6,980 55.72% Victor O. Tronsdal (incumbent) Prog. 5,546 44.28% 12,526 1,434
1940 General[19] Nov. 5 Connor T. Hansen (inc) Republican 11,613 66.02% Ray E. Wachs Prog. 5,978 33.98% 17,591 5,635
1942 General[20] Nov. 3 Connor T. Hansen (inc) Republican 7,003 73.60% F. E. Yates Prog. 2,512 26.40% 9,515 4,491

U.S. House of Representatives (1948)[edit]

Wisconsin's 9th Congressional District Election, 1948[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Primary, September 21, 1948
Republican Merlin Hull (incumbent) 25,243 60.99%
Republican Connor T. Hansen 14,071 34.00%
Republican Lynn Mason 2,073 5.01%
Plurality 11,172 26.99%
Total votes 41,387 100.0%

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1958)[edit]

Wisconsin Circuit Court, 24th Circuit Election, 1958[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Primary, March 4, 1958
Nonpartisan Merrill R. Farr 4,847 55.06%
Nonpartisan Connor T. Hansen 2,452 27.85%
Nonpartisan William H. Frawley 1,504 17.09%
Total votes 8,803 100.0%
General Election, April 1, 1958
Nonpartisan Merrill R. Farr 7,016 84.26%
Nonpartisan Connor T. Hansen 1,311 15.74%
Plurality 5,705 68.51%
Total votes 8,327 100.0%

Eau Claire County Judge (1959)[edit]

Eau Claire County Judge Election, 1959[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1959
Nonpartisan Connor T. Hansen (incumbent) 7,822 85.56%
Nonpartisan Homs A. Schwahn 1,320 14.44%
Plurality 6,502 71.12%
Total votes 9,142 100.0%

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Former Justices - Justice Connor T. Hansen". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1979). "Biographies: Supreme Court Justices" (PDF). The state of Wisconsin 1979-1980 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 8. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "Is Candidate for District Attorney Post". Eau Claire Sunday Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. July 10, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tronsdal, MacLeod Are Both Defeated, Pepin Wins Sheriff". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. November 9, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Connor Hansen Takes FBI Post". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. June 19, 1943. p. 11. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Connor Hansen, J. Kaiser Resume Law Partnership". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. November 30, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Connor Hansen to Be Candidate for Judge". Eau Claire Sunday Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. July 28, 1957. p. 11. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and elections: the primary election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 654. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin state party platforms and elections" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 702. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  10. ^ "Two Judges Assume New Positions Here". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. June 3, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "One-Third of City Voters Go to Polls". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. April 8, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Hunter, John P. (March 13, 1967). "Hansen Named to High Court". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1971). "Elections: Nonpartisan Elections" (PDF). The state of Wisconsin Blue Book, 1971 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 350. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "Hansen, Conner T. 1913". Wisconsin Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ "Annette Ferry Takes Nuptial Vows Saturday with Connor Hansen". Wisconsin State Journal. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. June 18, 1939. p. 16. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ State Journal staff (August 23, 1987). "Ex-justice of state Supreme Court dies". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Connor Hansen Wins District Attorney Bid". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. September 22, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Statement of the Board of County Canvassers". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. November 22, 1938. p. 6. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "9 Communists in County, Vote Canvass Reveals". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. November 26, 1940. p. 14. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Republicans Win All Eau Claire County Offices". Eau Claire Leader. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. November 5, 1942. p. 2. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by
Victor O. Tronsdal
 District Attorney of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1939 – June 18, 1943 		Succeeded by
John D. Kaiser
Preceded by
Merrill R. Farr
 County Judge of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Branch 1
June 3, 1958 – March 13, 1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
March 13, 1967 – July 31, 1980 		Succeeded by
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