The Honorable Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | |
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Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I | |
In office August 1, 1992 – July 23, 2008 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Kitty K. Brennan |
In office August 1, 1982 – July 31, 1988 | |
Preceded by | Rudolph T. Randa |
Succeeded by | Ralph Adam Fine |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 34 | |
In office August 1, 1988 – July 31, 1992 | |
Appointed by | Tommy Thompson |
Preceded by | Ralph Adam Fine |
Succeeded by | Jacqueline D. Schellinger |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 10 | |
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1982 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Rudolph T. Randa |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 10 | |
In office August 1977 – July 31, 1978 | |
Appointed by | Martin J. Schreiber |
Preceded by | Harvey L. Neelen |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | August 30, 1932
Died | July 23, 2008 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | (aged 75)
Resting place | Holy Trinity Cemetery Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Spouses |
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Parents |
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Alma mater | Marquette University Law School |
Profession | lawyer, judge |
Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (August 30, 1932 – July 23, 2008) was an American lawyer and a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Wedemeyer served twice on the court's Milwaukee-based District I; he was the district's presiding judge from 1983 to 1985 and from 1992 until 2007.
Wedemeyer's father, Ted Sr., was an attorney and politician who served as a Milwaukee alderman, as a civil court judge, and as a Milwaukee County supervisor. [1] Wedemeyer Jr. graduated from Marquette University Law School and worked as a private practice attorney in Milwaukee from 1957 to 1974. [2] [3] Wedemeyer was active in Democratic politics; he served on the executive board of the Milwaukee County Democratic Party and chaired Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier's campaign committee. [4] [5] In the early 1970s, Wedemeyer was appointed by Maier to chair the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals. [4]
In 1974, Wedemeyer assisted in the development and organization of the Milwaukee Municipal Court, a limited-jurisdiction court hearing city ordinance violations. In November 1974, Maier appointed Wedemeyer as one of the court's first two judges. [4] He served as a municipal judge until 1977, when he was appointed to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court by Acting Governor Marty Schreiber. [2] In 1982, he challenged Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Rudolph T. Randa for his seat on the court's Milwaukee-based District I. [6] Wedemeyer unseated Randa in the April general election; [6] from 1983 to 1985, he served as District I's presiding judge. [2]
In the leadup to the 1988 Milwaukee mayoral election, Wedemeyer was suggested as a possible successor to the retiring Maier, but ultimately did not run. [7] Instead, he was challenged for reelection to the Court of Appeals by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Ralph Adam Fine, who touted his opposition to plea bargaining and defeated Wedemeyer after a contentious campaign. [8] Governor Tommy Thompson, a Republican, appointed Wedemeyer to replace Fine on the circuit court. [9]
In 1992, Wedemeyer was returned to the Court of Appeals; he was elected without opposition to a newly created seat in District I. [10] He became the district's presiding judge in the same year, occupying that office until 2007. [2] He sought election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1995 and received support from the Milwaukee press, [11] but failed to survive the February primary election. [12]
Wedemeyer was noted for his involvement in community service activities. Active in promoting soccer in Wisconsin through the Milwaukee Kickers organization, [13] he was inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 1992. [14]
Wedemeyer died of lung cancer, while still in office, on July 23, 2008.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 4, 1978 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 53,091 | 100.0% | ||
Total votes | '53,091' | '100.0%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 6, 1982 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 36,724 | 59.59% | ||
Nonpartisan | Rudolph T. Randa (incumbent) | 24,903 | 40.41% | ||
Total votes | '61,627' | '100.0%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 5, 1988 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ralph Adam Fine | 187,375 | 62.04% | ||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent) | 114,634 | 37.96% | -21.63% | |
Total votes | '302,009' | '100.0%' | +390.06% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 7, 1992 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 183,855 | 100.0% | ||
Total votes | '183,855' | '100.0%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary Election, February 21, 1995 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ann Walsh Bradley | 131,889 | 38.85% | ||
Nonpartisan | N. Patrick Crooks | 88,913 | 26.19% | ||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 64,668 | 19.05% | ||
Nonpartisan | Patience D. Roggensack | 41,303 | 12.16% | ||
Nonpartisan | William A. Pangman | 12,753 | 3.76% | ||
Total votes | '339,526' | '100.0%' | |||
General Election, April 4, 1995 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ann Walsh Bradley | 514,588 | 54.82% | ||
Nonpartisan | N. Patrick Crooks | 424,110 | 45.18% | ||
Total votes | '938,698' | '100.0%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 1, 1997 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent) | 72,254 | 100.0% | ||
Total votes | '72,254' | '100.0%' | -60.70% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 1, 2003 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent) | 67,116 | 100.0% | ||
Total votes | '67,116' | '100.0%' | -7.11% |