Fred Risser (Progressive politician)

This article is about the Progressive Party politician. For his son, Democrat Fred A. Risser, see Fred Risser.

Frederic Emanuel Risser (January 15, 1900 – September 1, 1971) was an American lawyer and Progressive politician. He served twelve years as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from Dane County.^[1] He was the father of Wisconsin state senator Fred A. Risser, the longest-serving legislator in American history.^[2]

Fred Risser
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 26th district
In office January 4, 1937 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	Harold Groves
Succeeded by	Gaylord Nelson
District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin
In office January 7, 1929 – January 7, 1935
Preceded by	Glenn D. Roberts
Succeeded by	Lyall T. Beggs
Personal details
Born	Frederic Emanuel Risser (1900-01-15)January 15, 1900 Buffalo, Buffalo County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1971(1971-09-01) (aged 71) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican Progressive (1934–1946)
Spouse	Elizabeth Warner ​ ​ (m. 1926⁠–⁠1971)​
Children	Fred A. Risser (b. 1927) Andrew W. Risser (b. 1929; died 1973)
Education	University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A.) University of Wisconsin Law School (LL.B.)
Profession	lawyer

Early life and education

Risser was born in the Buffalo, Buffalo County, Wisconsin, on January 15, 1900. After he graduated from Winona High School in Winona, Minnesota, he spent two years on his father's farm before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1923 and his LL.B. in 1925.

Career

He taught at Beaver Dam High School for one year, and in 1925 became a practicing attorney in Madison, Wisconsin, entering the law firm of and eventually forming a partnership with former state legislator Ernest Warner.^[3] From 1925 to 1930, he lectured on business law at Madison College.

Wisconsin Senate

Before his election to the Senate in 1936, Risser had served as town clerk of the Town of Madison from 1927 to 1928; treasurer of the Highlands Mendota Beach School from 1930 to 1937; was three times elected district attorney of Dane County as a Republican, and in 1933 was president of the Wisconsin District Attorney's Association. From 1925 to 1930 he lectured on business law at Madison Area Technical College.

In 1936, Risser was elected to the 26th Senate District (Dane County) by a wide margin in the general election, after winning a plurality in a three-way Progressive Party primary (Progressive incumbent Harold Groves was not a candidate).^[4][5] He was re-elected in 1940 and 1944; but by 1948 the Wisconsin Progressives had merged back into the Republican Party, and (after having to face a challenge in the Republican primary from a non-Progressive), Risser was defeated for re-election in a four-way race by Gaylord Nelson.^[6]

After leaving the Senate, Risser continued to practice law. He died on September 1, 1971.^[1]

Personal life

Fred Risser married Elizabeth Warner, the daughter of his senior law partner Ernest Warner.

Their son, Fred A. Risser, went on to serve six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1957–1962) and 58 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1962–2021), making him the longest-serving state legislator in American history.^[2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1936–1948)

Year	Election	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality
1936	Primary[4]	September 15	Fred Risser	Progressive	4,820	45.66%	Gena Thompson	Prog.	3,149	29.83%	10,557	1,671
							H. Paul Harris	Prog.	2,588	24.51%
	General[5]	November 3	Fred Risser	Progressive	32,591	69.86%	Robert Caldwell	Rep.	14,058	30.14%	46,649	18,533
1940	Primary[7]	September 17	Fred Risser (inc.)	Progressive	11,704	72.23%	Darrell MacIntyre	Prog.	4,499	27.77%	16,203	7,205
	General[8]	November 5	Fred Risser (inc.)	Progressive	35,952	60.80%	Arthur May	Rep.	18,338	31.01%	59,130	17,614
							George P. Gaffney	Dem.	4,840	8.19%
1944	General[9]	November 7	Fred Risser (inc.)	Progressive	25,488	45.88%	Anthony J. Fiore	Rep.	20,018	36.04%	55,549	5,470
							George Schlotthauer	Dem.	9,813	17.67%
							John Sikkema	Soc.	230	0.41%
1948	Primary[10]	September 21	Fred Risser (inc.)	Republican	17,672	70.33%	Anthony J. Fiore	Rep.	7,456	29.67%	25,128	10,216
	General[11]	November 2	Gaylord Nelson	Democratic	30,398	50.85%	Fred Risser (inc.)	Rep.	28,729	48.06%	59,777	1,669
							Nathan Sadowsky	Soc.	360	0.60%
							Lawrence G. Grab	Prog.	290	0.49%

References

1. "State Sen. Risser's Father Dead at 71". La Crosse Tribune. September 2, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved December 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Johnson, Shawn (March 26, 2020). "Fred Risser, Nation's Longest-Serving State Legislator, To Retire". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
3. "Risser Seeks State Senate Nomination". Wisconsin State Journal. July 29, 1936. p. 10. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1937). "Parties and Elections: The Primary Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1937 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 356. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
5. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1937). "Parties and Elections: The General Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1937 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 429. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
6. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., ed. The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1950; pp. 655, 757
7. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1942). "Parties and Elections: The Primary Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1942 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 588. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
8. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1942). "Parties and Elections: The GeneralElection" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1942 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 666. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
9. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1946). "Parties and Elections: The General Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1946 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 674. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
10. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and Elections: The Primary Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 655. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
11. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and Elections: The General Election" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 757. Retrieved October 27, 2021.

Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Harold Groves	Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 26th district January 4, 1937 – January 3, 1949	Succeeded by Gaylord Nelson
Legal offices
Preceded by Glenn D. Roberts	District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin January 7, 1929 – January 7, 1935	Succeeded by Lyall T. Beggs