59th Wisconsin Legislature

The Fifty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1929, to September 20, 1929, in regular session.

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 6, 1928. 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 2, 1926.

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Walter J. Kohler Sr., of Sheboygan County, serving a two-year term, having won election in the 1928 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

• January 7, 1929: Inauguration of Walter J. Kohler Sr. as the 26th Governor of Wisconsin.

• March 4, 1929: Inauguration of Herbert Hoover as the 31st President of the United States

• March 23, 1929: Wisconsin chief justice Aad J. Vinje died in office. Justice Marvin B. Rosenberry immediately succeeded to the position of chief justice due to the rule of seniority.

• April 2, 1929: 1929 Wisconsin Spring general election:

  • Wisconsin voters approved two amendments to the state constitution:
    • Allowing legislators to set their own salary by law rather than fixing the salary in the constitution. This was the sixth attempt in 20 years to amend the constitution to allow some adjustment to legislator salary, all the previous attempts failed.
    • Sheriffs were allowed to serve two consecutive terms in office.
  • Wisconsin voters approved an advisory (non-binding) referendum calling for modification of the federal prohibition law.

• April 12, 1929: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed Chester A. Fowler to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice Aad J. Vinje.

• May 1, 1929: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Christian Doerfler resigned due to poor health.

• June 3, 1929: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed Oscar M. Fritz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the retired justice Christian Doerfler.

• July 27, 1929: The Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War was signed by 37 nations, including the United States.

• October 24–29, 1929: The Wall Street Crash of 1929 wiped out more than $30 Billion worth of value from the New York Stock Exchange (over $530 Billion adjusted for inflation), one of the inciting events of the Great Depression.

• October 25, 1929: Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall was convicted of bribery for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal, becoming the first Presidential cabinet member to go to prison for actions in office.

• November 14, 1929: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Franz C. Eschweiler died in office.

• December 15, 1929: The Green Bay Packers were the champions of the 1929 NFL season.

• April 4, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed Edward T. Fairchild to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice Franz C. Eschweiler.

• May 2, 1930: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Charles H. Crownhart died in office.

• June 17, 1930: U.S. President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, enacting some of the highest tariffs in U.S. history.

• July 13, 1930: Wisconsin congressman Florian Lampert (WI-06) died in office.

• August 25, 1930: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice E. Ray Stevens died in office.

• September 16, 1930: Incumbent Wisconsin governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. lost renomination in the Republican primary (in the ongoing intra-party feud, the progressive Philip La Follette defeated the stalwart Kohler).

• September 25, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed John D. Wickhem to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice Charles H. Crownhart.

• September 26, 1930: Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. appointed George B. Nelson to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed the deceased justice E. Ray Stevens.

• November 4, 1930: 1930 United States general election:

  • Philip La Follette elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution granting the Governor the power of a partial veto on appropriation bills.

• December 14, 1930: The Green Bay Packers were the champions of the 1930 NFL season.

• August 30, 1929: An Act ... relating to a children's code for Wisconsin and providing penalties, 1929 Act 439. Wisconsin's Children's Code, created a comprehensive set of state laws around child welfare and juvenile justice.

• September 12, 1929: An Act ... relating to the consolidation of the departments of agriculture, the dairy and food commissioner, the department of markets, the state treasury agent, the state supervisor of inspectors of illuminating oils and the state humane agent in a new department of agriculture tind markets, and making appropriations, 1929 Act 479. Consolidated several state agencies and commissions into the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Markets.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 6: Joint Resolution to amend section 21 of Article IV of the constitution, relating to the compensation of members of the legislature, so as to in effect repeal such section, and the submission of this amendment to a vote of the people at the April election of 1929. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on legislator pay and instead allow legislator pay to be set by the normal legislative process. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1929 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 13: Joint Resolution to amend section 4 of Article VI of the constitution, relating to the election of sheriffs and to submit this amendment to a vote of the people at the April election of 1929. Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow sheriffs to serve two consecutive terms. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1929 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 43: Joint Resolution to amend section 10 of article V of the constitution, relating to the approval of bills by the governor, and to submit this amendment to vote of the people at the general election in November, 1930. Second legislative passaged of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to grant the Governor the power of a partial veto on appropriation bills. This amendment was ratified by voters at the November 1930 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 69: Joint Resolution to amend section 5 of Article V of the constitution, relating to the compensation of the governor, so as to in effect repeal the said section. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on gubernatorial salary and instead allow the Governor's salary to be set through the normal legislative process. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 70: Joint Resolution to amend section 9 of Article V of the constitution, relating to the compensation of the lieutenant governor, so as to in effect repeal this section. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to remove the constitution's prescriptive section on Lieutenant Governor's salary and instead allow the Lieutenant Governor's salary to be set through the normal legislative process. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 72: Joint Resolution to amend Section 1 of Article VII of the constitution, relating to impeachments. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution making technical corrections to the impeachment section of the constitution. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.

• 1929 Joint Resolution 74: Joint Resolution to amend section 3 of article XI of the constitution, relating to indebtedness secured by public utility and other income producing property of municipalities. First legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution making additional allowances for municipal indebtedness. This amendment would eventually be ratified at the November 1932 election.

Senate partisan composition .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Socialist: 2 seats  Republican: 31 seats

Assembly partisan composition   Democratic: 5 seats  Socialist: 3 seats  Independent: 1 seat  Republican: 91 seats

• Regular session: January 9, 1929 – September 20, 1929

• President of the Senate: Henry Huber (R)

• President pro tempore: Oscar Morris (R–Milwaukee)

• Speaker of the Assembly: Charles B. Perry (R–Wauwatosa)

Members of the Senate for the Fifty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

Senate partisan representation   Socialist: 2 seats  Republican: 31 seats

Members of the Assembly for the Fifty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

Assembly partisan composition   Democratic: 5 seats  Socialist: 3 seats  Independent: 1 seat  Republican: 91 seats

Milwaukee County districts

• Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Labor – J. C. Schumann, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Committees – E. J. Roethe, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – W. H. Markham, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Corporations and Taxation – H. Daggett, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public Welfare – W. S. Goodland, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Highways – C. B. Casperson, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – I. P. Mehigan, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on Legislative Procedure – O. Morris, chair

• Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government – M. F. White, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – D. V. Smith, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – C. E. Hanson, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – L. L. Thayer, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent Expenditures – J. C. Hanson, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Education – E. G. Smith, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – C. A. Budlong, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed Bills – C. N. Saugen, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled Bills – J. W. Carow, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – C. L. Lacy, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – G. M. O'Connor, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – F. L. Prescott, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – A. C. Reis, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – M. Laffey, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – T. Engel, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – E. E. Husband, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – H. E. Stephens, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Revision – F. E. Moul, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Rules – W. H. Edwards, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – P. E. Nelson, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – W. H. Edwards, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Third Reading – L. D. Eastman, chair

• Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – T. H. Conway, chair

• Joint Standing Committee on Finance – H. E. Boldt (Sen.) & E. F. Hilker (Asm.), co-chairs

• Chief Clerk: Oliver Munson

  • Assistant Chief Clerk: R. A. Cobban

• Sergeant-at-Arms: George W. Rickeman

  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: E. A. Hartman

• Postmaster: Joseph Kernler

• Chief Clerk: C. E. Shaffer

  • Journal Clerk: Charles E. Tuffley

• Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles F. Moulton

  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lincoln Neprud

• Postmaster: Arthur Dihring

• 1929: Related Documents from Wisconsin Legislature