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John Charles Brophy (October 8, 1901 – December 26, 1976) was an American labor union organizer and Progressive and Republican politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district during the 80th Congress (1947–1949). He also served as a member of the Milwaukee Common Council. Earlier in his career, he was active in the Coke and Gas Worker's union, and was president of the Milwaukee local.
John C. Brophy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Thaddeus Wasielewski |
| Succeeded by | Clement J. Zablocki |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1901 Eagle, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 1976 (aged 75) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery, Milwaukee |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | Marie Pechauer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1919–1921 |
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John C. Brophy was born in the town of Eagle, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.[1] As a child, he moved with his family to the nearby city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Milwaukee's St. Patrick's School and attended Marquette Academy for a year.[1] Just before turning 18, he enlisted in the United States Navy, about a year after the armistice ending World War I. He served in the Navy from August 1919 to May 1921, and received an honorable discharge.[2]
After the war, he attended the Milwaukee Vocational School and worked as a mechanic for aircraft manufacturers and railroads. Through that work, he became involved in organized labor with the Coke and Gas Worker's union, and ultimately became president of the Milwaukee local. He was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1939, and served until his election to Congress.[1][2]
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In 1942, Brophy made his first run for U.S. House of Representatives, running as the Wisconsin Progressive Party nominee in Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, which then comprised the southern half of Milwaukee County. His opponents in the race were the incumbent Democratic representative, Thaddeus Wasielewski, and Republican former U.S. representative John C. Schafer. Wasielewski prevailed with nearly 49% of the vote, Brophy came in a distant third with 18%.[3]
In 1946, the Wisconsin Progressive Party voted to disband, with the majority of delegates voting to rejoin the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Brophy thus became a member of the Republican Party and that summer made another bid for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, this time seeking the Republican nomination.[4] He faced a very crowded Republican field, with seven other Republicans in the race. Brophy prevailed with 24% of the vote.[5] On the other side of the ticket, the Democratic incumbent, Thaddeus Wasielewski, lost his primary to union organizer Edmund V. Bobrowicz. After the primary, Bobrowicz was accused of communist ties, and Wasielewski decided to re-enter the race as an independent candidate.[6] With Wasielewski taking 28.6% of the vote, Brophy won the general election with just 36.5% of the vote.[5]
Brophy served in the 80th Congress, which was nicknamed the "Do-Nothing Congress" by U.S. President Harry Truman. Brophy lost his seat in the Democratic wave election of 1948, receiving just 39% of the vote against Democratic state senator Clement Zablocki, who won the seat with 56% of the vote.[7]
Brophy made one more attempt to run for Congress in 1950, challenging Zablocki again. Brophy again faced a competitive primary, but managed to defeat his two Republican opponents. Brophy and Zablocki were the only candidates in this general election, and Zablocki won again in a landslide, taking 61% of the vote.[8]
Although he served only one brief term in Congress, in a term that infamously accomplished very little, his congressional career had one lasting consequence: He nominated Juneau High School graduate Jim Lovell to attend the United States Naval Academy. Lovell went on to become an astronaut and famously commanded the Apollo 13 mission.[9]
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Brophy never ran for elected office again, but remained active in politics. He was chosen to serve on the Republican electoral college slate for the 1952 United States presidential election. Since the Republican nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, won the state of Wisconsin, Brophy served as one of Wisconsin's 12 presidential electors that year.[10]
In his later years, he worked in sales and public relations.
Brophy died of cancer in December 1976. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee.[11]
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U.S. House (1942)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942[3] | General | Nov. 3 | Thaddeus Wasielewski (inc) | Democratic | 46,819 | 48.79% | John C. Schafer | Rep. | 29,104 | 30.33% | 95,955 | 17,715 |
| John C. Brophy | Prog. | 17,468 | 18.20% | |||||||||
| Robert Buech | Soc. | 2,535 | 2.64% | |||||||||
U.S. House (1946, 1948, 1950)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946[5] | Primary | Aug. 13 | John C. Brophy | Republican | 9,707 | 24.11% | William E. Bohn | Rep. | 8,716 | 21.64% | 40,269 | 991 |
| Frank Schultz | Rep. | 5,754 | 14.29% | |||||||||
| Chester Michalak | Rep. | 4,143 | 10.29% | |||||||||
| Leon Nowak | Rep. | 3,371 | 8.37% | |||||||||
| John Pringle | Rep. | 3,233 | 8.03% | |||||||||
| Lillian Kohlmetz | Rep. | 3,232 | 8.03% | |||||||||
| Harry Chelminiak | Rep. | 2,113 | 5.25% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 5 | John C. Brophy | Republican | 49,144 | 36.53% | Edmund V. Bobrowicz | Dem. | 44,398 | 33.01% | 134,514 | 4,746 | |
| Thaddeus Wasielewski (inc) | Ind.D. | 38,502 | 28.62% | |||||||||
| George E. Helberg | Soc. | 2,470 | 1.84% | |||||||||
| 1948[7] | Primary | Sep. 21 | John C. Brophy (inc) | Republican | 23,183 | 59.09% | Charles A. Madison | Rep. | 9,050 | 23.07% | 39,231 | 14,133 |
| Ruth Foster Froemming | Rep. | 6,998 | 17.84% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 2 | Clement Zablocki | Democratic | 89,391 | 55.89% | John C. Brophy (inc) | Rep. | 63,161 | 39.49% | 159,955 | 26,230 | |
| Edmund V. Bobrowicz | Prog. | 5,051 | 3.16% | |||||||||
| Clement Stachowiak | Soc. | 2,326 | 1.45% | |||||||||
| 1950[7] | Primary | Sep. 19 | John C. Brophy | Republican | 14,064 | 48.35% | Thomas Kattnig | Rep. | 11,005 | 37.83% | 29,087 | 3,059 |
| Paul A. Schmelter | Rep. | 4,018 | 13.81% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 7 | Clement Zablocki (inc) | Democratic | 83,564 | 60.87% | John C. Brophy | Rep. | 53,702 | 39.12% | 137,282 | 29,862 | |
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