75th Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1961, to January 9, 1963, in regular session. This was the first time that the legislative session was kept open for the entire term of the legislature.

This session represents the second time the Legislature failed to pass a redistricting act on schedule. Ultimately, the legislature and governor would not be able to agree on a redistricting act in the 1960s, and for the first time in state history, the maps would be drawn by the Wisconsin Supreme Court (in 1964).

Senators representing even-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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1960. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 4, 1958.

Major events

 * January 2, 1961: Second inauguration of Gaylord Nelson as Governor of Wisconsin.
 * January 20, 1961: Inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States.
 * January 25, 1961: John F. Kennedy delivered the first live televised press conference by a U.S. president.
 * March 1, 1961: U.S. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order.
 * March 29, 1961: The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution came into force after it was ratified by the requisite number of states.
 * April 4, 1961: 1961 Wisconsin spring election:
 * Myron L. Gordon was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed John E. Martin.
 * Wisconsin voters approved four amendments to the state constitution:
 * Directing the legislature to set a plan for continuity of government.
 * Establishing taxation rules for commercial stock and property.
 * Allowing the legislature to set rules for municipal eminent domain seizures and removing a jury from the process.
 * Allowing an additional 10% municipal indebtedness for school purposes in districts that offer all levels of primary schooling.
 * Wisconsin voters also rejected two amendments to the state constitution:
 * Allowing sheriffs to serve successive terms. This was the fifth failed attempt to remove or alter these term limits for sheriffs.
 * Allowing the legislature to vote a pay increase for the same session of the legislature.
 * April 12, 1961: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, piloting the Vostok 1 mission.
 * April 19, 1961: The Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba ended in failure.
 * May 5, 1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, piloting the Mercury-Redstone 3.
 * May 25, 1961: At a joint session of congress, U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced his goal to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
 * August 13, 1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall began.
 * November 18, 1962: U.S. President John F. Kennedy ordered 18,000 U.S. military advisors to South Vietnam.
 * December 31, 1961: The Green Bay Packers won the 1961 NFL Championship Game.
 * January 1, 1962: Grover L. Broadfoot became the 17th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court by rule of seniority, at the expiration of the term of justice John E. Martin.
 * May 18, 1962: Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice Grover L. Broadfoot died in office. Justice Timothy Brown became the 18th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court due to the rule of seniority.
 * October 28, 1962: Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that he ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 * November 6, 1962: 1962 United States general election:
 * John W. Reynolds Jr. (D) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
 * Gaylord Nelson (D) elected United States senator from Wisconsin.
 * Wisconsin voters approved three amendments to the state constitution:
 * Removing the exemption for "indians not taxed" from the legislative apportionment rules.
 * Allowing the legislature to create the office of county executive for counties with more than 500,000 residents (only Milwaukee County).
 * Establishing the rules of the veto power for the county executive.
 * December 23, 1962: Wisconsin Assembly speaker David Blanchard died in office.
 * December 30, 1962: The Green Bay Packers won the 1962 NFL Championship Game.

Major legislation

 * 1961 Joint Resolution 8: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow an additional 10% municipal indebtedness for school purposes in districts that offer all levels of primary schooling. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 9: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow sheriffs to serve successive terms. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 10: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to create section 34 of article IV, directing the legislature to create a plan for continuity of government in the event of an emergency. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 11: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow legislators to change their own salary within the same session. This amendment was rejected by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 12: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to set new rules for municipal eminent domain acquisitions, and removing the constitutional requirement for a jury verdict in such cases. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 13: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to add rules for taxation of commercial goods and property. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1961 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 32: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove exemption of "indians not taxed" from the legislative apportionment rules. This amendment was ratified by voters at the November 1962 election.
 * 1961 Joint Resolution 64: Second legislative passage of two proposed amendments to the state constitution to allow the legislature to establish the office of county executive for any county with a population over five hundred thousand (at the time, only Milwaukee County fit this criterion). The amendment also proposed a veto power for the county executive over the acts of the county board, including a powerful partial veto for appropriations.  Both amendments were ratified by voters at the November 1962 election.

Sessions

 * Regular session: January 11, 1961 –January 9, 1963

Senate leadership

 * President of the Senate: Warren P. Knowles (R)
 * President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer (R–Oakfield)
 * Majority leader: Robert S. Travis (R–Platteville)
 * Minority leader: William R. Moser (D–Milwaukee) (res. Jan. 30, 1962)

Assembly leadership

 * Speaker of the Assembly: David Blanchard (R–Edgerton) (died Dec. 23, 1962)
 * Speaker pro tempore: Willis J. Hutnik (R–Tony)
 * Majority leader: Robert Haase (R–Marinette)
 * Minority leader: Robert T. Huber (D–West Allis)

Members of the Senate
Members of the Senate for the Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:

Members of the Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Seventy-Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:

Senate committees

 * Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture –J. E. Leverich, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Conservation – C. Krueger, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Education – P. P. Carr, 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 –A. A. Laun, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Public Welfare –R. Bice, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Committees –C. Dempsey, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Contingent Expenditures –R. La Fave, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Legislative Procedure –F. E. Panzer, chair

Assembly committees

 * Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – W. Merriam, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – G. Hipke, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – P. Alfonsi, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – L. R. Baumgart, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Education – W. B. Calvert, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – G. Pommerening, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – E. J. Schowalter, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – V. J. Zellinger, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – F. E. Shurbert, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – H. A. Harper, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – K. E. Priebe, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – R. E. Peterson, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – E. L. Genzmer, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – P. A. Luedtke, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – M. C. Kintz, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – W. Terry, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – W. E. Owen, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – R. Haase, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – W. J. Hutnik, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – G. B. Belting, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – C. M. Stauffer, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – B. Lewison, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs – K. Kenyon, chair

Joint committees

 * Joint Standing Committee on Finance –W. Draheim (Sen.) & E. Bidwell (Asm.), co-chairs
 * Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform Laws –G. Lorge (Sen.) & R. Uehling (Asm.), co-chairs
 * Joint Legislative Council –D. Blanchard, chair

Senate employees

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

Assembly employees

 * Chief Clerk: Robert G. Marotz
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Norris J. Kellman