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Walter Schmidt (Wisconsin politician)

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Walter R. Schmidt
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
In office
April 16, 1963 – April 16, 1968
Preceded byRobert J. Baden
Succeeded byWalter Ireland
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Sheboygan 1st district
In office
January 7, 1957 – January 5, 1959
Preceded byFred E. Nuernberg
Succeeded byHenry A. Hillemann
Personal details
Born(1898-12-22)December 22, 1898
Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 1987(1987-06-10) (aged 88)
Morningside Nursing Home Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeWildwood Cemetery, Sheboygan
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Rubina Damrow
(m. 1920⁠–⁠1987)
OccupationFarmer, cheesemaker, real estate broker

Walter R. Schmidt (December 22, 1898 – June 10, 1987) was an American farmer, cheesemaker, real estate broker, and Republican politician from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of Sheboygan during the 1957 session. He also served more than 22 years on the Sheboygan County board of supervisors, and was chairman from 1963 through 1968.

Biography

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Walter Schmidt was born December 22, 1898, in the town of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. From an early age, he worked on his family farm, and at age 20 he became the owner and operator of the Greenbaum Cheese Factory, which manufactured cheese from nearby dairy farms. Through the cheese industry, he also became active in the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association.[1]

He also became involved in local affairs as a member of the school board. In 1929, he became an officer in the Sheboygan Falls Rural Telephone Company. And after the outbreak of World War II, he served on the county rationing board. In 1946, he left the cheesemaking business and went into real estate dealing, which was his primary occupation for the rest of his career.[1]

In 1949, he was elected to the Sheboygan County board of supervisors, and would serve continuously on the board for the next 22 years. In 1956, Sheboygan's incumbent state representative, Fred E. Nuernberg, announced he would not run for another term. The county's Republican Party establishment rallied around Schmidt, who at the time was gaining statewide notoriety as president of the Wisconsin county highway committee members association. With the support of the party, he faced no opposition in the primary,[2] and went on to face Democrat Allan J. Graskamp. Graskamp was the president of the UAW Local at Kohler Co., and at the time of the 1956 primary, Graskamp was leading his union in a strike at that plant.[3] Schmidt prevailed in the general election, receiving 54% of the vote.[4]

Schmidt ran for re-election to the Assembly in 1958, but was defeated by Henry A. Hillemann, as the Democrats won their first Assembly majority in 26 years.[5][6]

Schmidt continued as a member of the county board through his term in the Assembly. In 1962, he was elected vice-chairman of the county board,[7] and the following year he was elected chairman.[8] He served five years as chairman, relinquishing the office in 1968. He remained on the county board until his retirement in 1972.[1]

Personal life and family

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Walter Schmidt was the fourth of five sons born to Edward Schmidt and his wife Julia (née Meinnert). Both of Schmidt's parents were first generation Americans born to German American immigrants.[1]

Walter Schmidt married Rubina Damrow at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Sheboygan Falls, on January 3, 1920. The Damrow family were also prominent farmers and local officeholders in the Sheboygan Falls area.[9] They were married for 67 years, but had no children.[1]

Walter Schmidt died at Morningside Nursery Home in Sheboygan on June 10, 1987, at age 88. He was buried at Sheboygan's Wildwood Cemetery.[1]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (1956, 1958)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Sheboygan 1st District Election, 1956[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1956
Republican Walter R. Schmidt 10,730 53.71% +3.32pp
Democratic Allan J. Graskamp 9,247 46.29%
Plurality 1,483 7.42% +6.63pp
Total votes 19,977 100.0% +13.63%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Assembly, Sheboygan 1st District Election, 1958[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1958
Democratic Henry A. Hillemann 9,358 55.03%
Republican Walter R. Schmidt (incumbent) 7,646 44.97% −8.75pp
Plurality 1,712 10.07% +2.64pp
Total votes 17,004 100.0% -14.88%
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Former County Supervisor Walter R. Schmidt Dies". The Sheboygan Press. June 11, 1987. p. 10. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Six Enter". The Sheboygan Press. July 11, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Democrats Nominate Graskamp". The Sheboygan Press. September 12, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1958). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1958 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 678, 779. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Vote Results". The Sheboygan Press. November 7, 1958. p. 7. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1960 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 664, 700. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "Baden Re-Elected By County Board". The Sheboygan Press. April 17, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "County Board Elects Schmidt as Chairman". The Sheboygan Press. April 16, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Gottfried W. Damrow Dies at Hospital After Illness". The Sheboygan Press. March 18, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Sheboygan 1st district
January 7, 1957 – January 5, 1959
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert J. Baden
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
April 16, 1963 – April 16, 1968
Succeeded by