71st Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventy-First Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session.
During this session, the Legislature attempted to pass another redistricting plan to supersede the "Rosenberry plan" that had passed during the previous session. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately struck down this second plan, finding that the state constitution did not allow for the Legislature to pass more than one redistricting plan per decennial census. The Rosenberry plan went into effect for the 1954 election. This was the first time in 60 years that the court got involved in a Wisconsin redistricting dispute, but it would be the start of a pattern of state and federal courts handling Wisconsin redistricting for subsequent decades.
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 4, 1952. 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 7, 1950.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Walter J. Kohler Jr., of Sheboygan County, serving his second two-year term, having won re-election in the 1952 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

Major events

January 5, 1953: Second inauguration of Walter J. Kohler Jr. as Governor of Wisconsin.
January 20, 1953: [First inauguration of Dwight Democratic Party (United States)|D. Eisenhower|Inauguration] of Dwight D. Eisenhower as 34th President of the United States.
March 5, 1953: Joseph Stalin, the premier of the Soviet Union, died after suffering a stroke.
March 18, 1953: Major League Baseball's National League approved the relocation of the Boston Braves franchise to Milwaukee.
March 26, 1953: Jonas Salk announced his polio vaccine.
April 7, 1953: Wisconsin voters approved two amendments to the state constitution:
* Changing the apportionment rules for legislative districts to include consideration of district size alongside consideration of population.
* Changing judicial term rules so that judicial special elections would be for a new full term, rather than for the remaining years on the previous incomplete term.
April 13, 1953: The Milwaukee Braves Major League Baseball team played their first game at Milwaukee County Stadium.
July 27, 1953: The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, dividing Korea and effectively ending the Korean War.
October 6, 1953: The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in the case State ex rel. Thomson v. Zimmerman, resolved the several questions arising from the legislative redistricting process. They ruled the April 1953 constitutional amendment was nullified because the ballot language did not properly describe the proposed amendment. They further found that the state constitution did not allow the legislature to enact more than one redistricting plan per census.
January 1, 1954: Wisconsin chief justice Oscar M. Fritz resigned due to poor health. Justice Edward T. Fairchild immediately succeeded to the position of chief justice due to the rule of seniority. Wisconsin Governor Walter J. Kohler Jr. appointed Roland J. Steinle to succeed him as justice.
March 9, 1954: Journalists R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly released their 30-minute documentary on Wisconsin's controversial U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy.
April 7, 1954: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his "Domino theory" speech, warning of the spread of communism in southeast Asia.
May 17, 1954: The United States Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional.
July 21, 1954: The 1954 Geneva Conference dismantled French Indochina and divided Vietnam.
September 8, 1954: The Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty was signed, establishing the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization defensive alliance.
November 2, 1954: Walter J. Kohler Jr. re-elected as Governor of Wisconsin.
December 2, 1954: The United States Senate voted 67-22 to condemn Wisconsin's U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

Major legislation

June 6, 1953: An Act... relating to the apportionment of assemblymen and senators, . This was a new redistricting plan to supersede the plan they passed in 1951 utilizing the language of the constitutional amendment passed in April 1953. The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down this act, along with the related constitutional amendment, in October 1953.
1953 Joint Resolution 9: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to change the apportionment rules for legislative districts to add consideration for district size. This amendment was approved by voters at the April 1953 election, but was that referendum was later ruled invalid.
1953 Joint Resolution 12: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to change judicial terms in cases of special elections, so that special elections would now award a full term rather than the remainder of any incomplete term. This amendment was approved by voters at the April 1953 election.

Sessions

Regular session: January 14, 1953November 6, 1953

Leaders

Senate leadership

President of the Senate: George M. Smith
President pro tempore: Frank E. Panzer
Majority leader: Warren P. Knowles
Minority leader: Henry Maier

Assembly leadership

Members

Members of the Senate

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

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Door, Kewaunee,		Two Rivers	Rep.
02	Brown		Green Bay	Rep.
03	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Dem.
04	Milwaukee (Northeast County		Milwaukee	Rep.
05	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Rep.
06	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Milwaukee (Southeast County		Milwaukee	Dem.
08	Milwaukee		West Milwaukee	Rep.
09	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Dem.
10	Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce,		New Richmond	Rep.
11	Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas,		Superior	Rep.
12	Ashland, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer,		Ladysmith	Rep.
13	Dodge		Oakfield	Rep.
14	Outagamie		Appleton	Rep.
15	Rock		Beloit	Rep.
16	Crawford, Grant,		Bloomington	Rep.
17	Green, Iowa,		South Wayne	Rep.
18	,		Campbellsport	Rep.
19	Calumet		Neenah	Dem.
20	Ozaukee		Sheboygan Falls	Rep.
21	Racine		Racine	Dem.
22	Kenosha		Lake Geneva	Rep.
23	Portage		Stevens Point	Rep.
24	Clark, Taylor,		Vesper	Rep.
25	Lincoln		Merrill	Rep.
26	Dane		Madison	Dem.
27	Columbia, Richland,		Richland Center	Rep.
28	Chippewa		Chippewa Falls	Rep.
29	Barron, Dunn,		Menomonie	Rep.
30	Florence, Forest, Langlade, Marinette,		Amberg	Rep.
31	Adams, Juneau, Monroe,		Sparta	Rep.
32	Jackson, La Crosse,		La Crosse	Rep.
32	Jackson, La Crosse,		La Crosse	Rep.
33	Jefferson			Rep.

Members of the Assembly

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

Committees

Senate committees

Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and ConservationM. Olson, chair
Senate Standing Committee on CommitteesJ. Miller, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Contingent ExpendituresF. B. Porter, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public WelfareR. P. Robinson, chair
Senate Standing Committee on HighwaysJ. Miller, chair
Senate Standing Committee on the JudiciaryW. P. Knowles, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Labor and ManagementG. A. Bubolz, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Legislative ProcedureF. E. Panzer, chair
Senate Standing Committee on State and Local GovernmentB. Gettelman, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Veterans AffairsJ. E. Leverich, chair

Assembly committees

Assembly Standing Committee on AgricultureJ. T. Pritchard, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and ManufacturingE. L. Genzmer, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on ConservationR. S. Travis, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent ExpendituresE. D. Hall, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on EducationM. C. Kintz, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on ElectionsH. W. Timmer, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed BillsL. R. Larsen, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled BillsR. A. Peabody, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and FeesH. R. Abraham, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on HighwaysH. A. Keegan, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and BankingB. M. Engebretson, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on the JudiciaryA. O. Mockrud, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on LaborW. E. Cook, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on MunicipalitiesP. A. Luedtke, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on PrintingC. H. Sykes, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Public WelfareH. Rasmusen, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on RevisionC. A. Peterson, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on RulesB. M. Engebretson, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on State AffairsB. J. Gehrmann, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on TaxationE. C. Nitschke, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Third ReadingM. O. Monson, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on TransportationJ. R. Stone, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military AffairsG. H. Bakke, chair

Joint committees

Joint Standing Committee on FinanceA. Lenroot & A. R. Ludvigsen, co-chairs
Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform LawsA. Busby & R. G. Marotz, co-chairs