Patrick Joseph Lucey
Encyclopedia
Patrick Joseph Lucey is a member of the United States Democratic Party who served as the 38th Governor
of the US state of Wisconsin
from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, he was appointed ambassador to Mexico
by President Jimmy Carter
, a post he held until 1979. He was also an independent vice-presidential candidate in 1980 with John Anderson
.
in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
in 1935. He then attended St. Thomas College and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
, and in the Wisconsin State Assembly
from 1949 to 1951.
Lucey was a key Wisconsin supporter of John F. Kennedy
in his presidential run in 1960.
and Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr.
In 1971, Lucey raised the issue again, saying a merger would contain the growing costs of two systems; give order to the increasing higher education demands of the state; control program duplication; and provide for a united voice and single UW budget.
Not surprisingly, Madison faculty and administrators by and large opposed the merger, fearing it would diminish the great state university. Most WSU faculty and administrators favored merger, believing it would add prestige to their institutions and level the playing field for state funding.
Merger legislation easily passed the Democratic-controlled Assembly. After much maneuvering and lobbying, it was approved by a one-vote margin in the Republican-controlled Senate. It took until 1974 for implementation legislation to be finalized. "I had to be pretty heavy-handed no merger, no budget," said Lucey in an interview following his term in office.
Presently, the University of Wisconsin System
each year educates more than 155,000 students on 26 campuses and one million citizens through the UW–Extension.
park system and the Mt. Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin
. Since 1974, Cable and Mt. Telemark hosts the American Birkebeiner
each year, the largest cross-country ski race in North America.
.
's campaign co-chairman. On March 31, 2011, he resigned from Prosser's campaign and endorsed JoAnne Kloppenburg
, attributing his decision to Prosser's "disturbing distemper and lack of civility", while praising Kloppenburg for "[adhering] throughout the campaign to even-handedness and non-partisanship and [exhibiting] both promising judicial temperament and good grace, even in the heat of a fierce campaign."
Governor of Wisconsin
The Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
of the US state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, he was appointed ambassador to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, a post he held until 1979. He was also an independent vice-presidential candidate in 1980 with John Anderson
John B. Anderson
John Bayard Anderson is a former United States Congressman and Presidential candidate from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois for ten terms from 1961 through 1981 and an Independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election. He was previously...
.
Education
Lucey graduated from Campion High SchoolCampion High School
Campion Jesuit High School was a Jesuit-run boarding school for boys in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin named for the Jesuit martyr Edmund Campion. The school operated from its founding in 1880 until closing in 1975, and educated several notable figures during its existence. The former school's campus...
in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,911 at the 2010 census. Its Zip Code is 53821....
in 1935. He then attended St. Thomas College and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Political career
He served as justice of the peace in Ferryville, WisconsinFerryville, Wisconsin
Ferryville is a village in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 174 at the 2000 census. It is located on Wisconsin Highway 35 along the Great River Road.-Geography:Ferryville is located at ....
, and in the Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
from 1949 to 1951.
Lucey was a key Wisconsin supporter of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in his presidential run in 1960.
University of Wisconsin System merger
One of Lucey's executive initiatives was to revive an idea to merge the state's two university systems, the Wisconsin State University (WSU) system and the pre-eminent University of Wisconsin (UW), in Madison (and also including the campuses in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Parkside (Racine–Kenosha) as well as the UW Extension). The idea was suggested in the 1890s, then revived in the 1940s and 1950s by Governor Oscar RennebohmOscar Rennebohm
Oscar Rennebohm was the 32nd Governor of Wisconsin. He was born in Leeds, Wisconsin, in Columbia County. Rennebohm served in the United States Navy during World War I. Rennebohm, a Republican, was a pharmacist. In 1945, he was elected lieutenant governor of Wisconsin...
and Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr.
Walter J. Kohler, Jr.
Walter Jodok Kohler, Jr. was the 33rd Governor of Wisconsin for three terms from 1951 to 1957 and a leading figure in state and national Republican Party activities. His role in the clash between Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 has interested...
In 1971, Lucey raised the issue again, saying a merger would contain the growing costs of two systems; give order to the increasing higher education demands of the state; control program duplication; and provide for a united voice and single UW budget.
Not surprisingly, Madison faculty and administrators by and large opposed the merger, fearing it would diminish the great state university. Most WSU faculty and administrators favored merger, believing it would add prestige to their institutions and level the playing field for state funding.
Merger legislation easily passed the Democratic-controlled Assembly. After much maneuvering and lobbying, it was approved by a one-vote margin in the Republican-controlled Senate. It took until 1974 for implementation legislation to be finalized. "I had to be pretty heavy-handed no merger, no budget," said Lucey in an interview following his term in office.
Presently, the University of Wisconsin System
University of Wisconsin System
The University of Wisconsin System is a university system of public universities in the state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher education systems in the country, enrolling more than 182,000 students each year and employing more than 32,000 faculty and staff statewide...
each year educates more than 155,000 students on 26 campuses and one million citizens through the UW–Extension.
Other gubernatorial accomplishments
Lucey also recommended additional funding for tourism, which spurred development throughout the state. Two examples were the expansion of the Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...
park system and the Mt. Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin
Cable, Wisconsin
Cable is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Cable is located in the town...
. Since 1974, Cable and Mt. Telemark hosts the American Birkebeiner
Birkebeiner
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...
each year, the largest cross-country ski race in North America.
1980 Vice Presidential campaign
The John Anderson—Patrick Lucey presidential ticket received 5,719,850 vote for 6.6% of the total vote in the 1980 presidential election, despite a 25% showing in early polls by Anderson and a spirited televised debate between Anderson and Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
In 2011, Lucey, although a Democrat, acted as David ProsserDavid Prosser, Jr.
David T. Prosser Jr. is a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. A former Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, Prosser was appointed to the court by Governor Tommy Thompson in 1998, and was elected to his first 10-year term without opposition in 2001...
's campaign co-chairman. On March 31, 2011, he resigned from Prosser's campaign and endorsed JoAnne Kloppenburg
JoAnne Kloppenburg
JoAnne Kloppenburg is an Assistant Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin, serving since 1989 under Republican and Democratic Governors. She ran for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2011 against incumbent Justice David Prosser....
, attributing his decision to Prosser's "disturbing distemper and lack of civility", while praising Kloppenburg for "[adhering] throughout the campaign to even-handedness and non-partisanship and [exhibiting] both promising judicial temperament and good grace, even in the heat of a fierce campaign."