William J. Duffy

William J. Duffy (October 29, 1916 – February 25, 2013) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He served 24 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Brown County (1968–1992), and was chief judge of Wisconsin's 8th judicial district from 1982 to 1988. Earlier in his career, he served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1949), representing Brown County as a Democrat.

The Honorable William J. Duffy
Chief Judge of the 8th District of Wisconsin Circuit Courts
In office August 1, 1982 – July 31, 1988
Preceded by	Clarence W. Nier
Succeeded by	Harold Vernon Froehlich
Wisconsin Circuit Judge
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1992
Preceded by	Transitioned from 14th Circ.
Succeeded by	Susan Bischel
Constituency	Brown Circuit, Branch 3
In office June 1968 – July 31, 1978
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Circuit abolished
Constituency	14th Circuit, Branch 3
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Brown 2nd district
In office January 1, 1949 – January 1, 1951
Preceded by	Harvey Larsen
Succeeded by	Harvey Larsen
Personal details
Born	(1916-10-29)October 29, 1916 North Branch, Minnesota, US
Died	February 25, 2013(2013-02-25) (aged 96) Green Bay, Wisconsin, US
Resting place	Allouez Catholic Cemetery, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Boyden (m. 1950; died 1999)
Children	5
Education	St. Norbert College (B.A.) University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Army Air Forces
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific War

Biography

Born in North Branch, Minnesota, Duffy grew up in Hollandtown, Wisconsin, and graduated from Kaukauna High School. He graduated from St. Norbert College and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1941. Later that year, he joined the United States Army Air Forces for service in World War II. He served throughout the war in the Pacific theater, rising to the rank of Captain.^[1][2][3]

After the war, he practiced law in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in a partnership with attorney Jerry Clifford. In 1948 he defeated incumbent Republican Assemblyman Harvey Larsen to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 1949-1950 session.^[4] Larsen came back and defeated Duffy in 1950, ending his brief career in the Assembly. Duffy returned to his legal practice.^[1][3]

In 1967, the Wisconsin Legislature created a third branch in the 14th judicial circuit. Duffy ran unopposed in the special election for the new circuit court judgeship, and would remain on the circuit court in Brown County for the next 24 years, earning re-election in 1974, 1980, and 1986. In 1982, he was selected as Chief Judge for the 8th Judicial Administrative District by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He served the maximum 3 two-year terms as Chief Judge.^[1]

Judge Duffy retired from the court in 1992, but continued to work as a reserve judge and remained an active member of the community in the city of Green Bay.^[1] He served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay from 1970 to 1975, teaching labor law, he was the first president of the Green Bay Voluntary Commission on Human Rights, and was a member of the Governor's Commission on Human Rights.^[3]

Personal life and family

In May 1950, Duffy married Elizabeth Boyden. Judge Duffy died on February 25, 2013, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at age 96. His wife preceded him in death. They were survived by five children and ten grandchildren.^[1][3]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1948, 1950)

Wisconsin Assembly, Brown 2nd District Election, 1948^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1948
	Democratic	William J. Duffy	8,015	55.87%	+6.64%
	Republican	Harvey Larsen (incumbent)	6,331	44.13%
Plurality			1,684	11.74%	+10.20%
Total votes			14,346	100.0%	+12.61%
	Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin Assembly, Brown 2nd District Election, 1950^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 7, 1950
	Republican	Harvey Larsen	6,775	51.08%
	Democratic	William J. Duffy (incumbent)	6,488	48.92%	−6.95%
Plurality			287	2.16%	-9.57%
Total votes			13,263	100.0%	-7.55%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1968, 1974, 1980, 1986)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, 14th Circuit, Branch 3 Election, 1968^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 2, 1968
	Nonpartisan	William J. Duffy	37,609	100.0%
Total votes			37,609	100.0%

References

1. "Duffy, Judge William J." Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 26, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2020 – via Legacy.com.
2. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Members of the legislature". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 40. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
3. "Judge William J. Duffy, Brown County Circuit Court" (PDF). The Third Branch. Vol. 21, no. 1. Wisconsin Court System. 2013. p. 4. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
4. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and elections: the general election". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 759. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
5. Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1952). "Parties and elections: the general election". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1952 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 749. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
6. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1970). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin Blue Book, 1970 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 837. Retrieved April 4, 2020.

Legal offices
New branch	Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 14th Circuit, Branch 3 1968 – 1978	Circuit abolished
New circuit	Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Brown Circuit, Branch 3 1978 – 1992	Succeeded by Susan Bischel
Preceded by Clarence W. Nier	Chief Judge of the 8th District of Wisconsin Circuit Courts 1982 – 1988	Succeeded by Harold Vernon Froehlich