Republican Party of Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
The Republican Party of Wisconsin is the Wisconsin
affiliate of the United States Republican Party
(GOP). The state party chair is Brad Courtney. The state party is divided into 72 county parties for each of the state's counties, and also into eight congressional district organizations for the state's eight congressional districts.
The 2009 Wisconsin GOP Convention was held in La Crosse
on May 1st, with the highlight being straw polls for the upcoming 2010 gubernatorial and senatorial elections.
It all started inside of the Whig Party
. Inside the Whig Party, there was much internal conflict regarding party philosophy on several issues, the most prominent being slavery. This is where such men as Alvin Earl Bovay and Horace Greeley come into the story. Bovay was a lawyer in the state of Wisconsin in the town of Ripon. Greeley was a prominent editor of several newspapers (in New York) throughout his career. Both men met at the Whig convention of 1852 in New York where in they had a discussion about how they felt the Whig party was slowly falling apart. It was during this conversation that Horace Greeley and Bovay came up with the name Republican for the party they would eventually be considered the fathers of. According to Professor A.F. Gillman, the name was chosen from the Latin 'Res Publica', meaning 'you are as good as I'. The slogan was mean to display equality, as the big topic of the day was of course slavery and this expressed the parties desire to abolish slavery and promote equality.
After the convention, Bovay went back to Wisconsin and continued to fight for the Whig party, but with the presidential elections of 1852 dashing the last hopes of the Whig party, the party had decidedly ended. Many members went to the newly formed Know-Nothing party. What happened after this is described by Professor Gillman as "a spirit of unrest". What really lit the fuse was the passing of the Nebraska Bill. This lead to Greely calling for the first ever meeting of the Republican party in Ripton, Wisconsin with Bovay organizing the meeting place. It was held at 6:30pm on Wednesday, March 1st of 1854. The meeting was meant for the Republican party to not only come out as a party but to protest what they thought was an egregious act by the pro slave states in the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act.
. The Convention was the largest in RPW history with over 1500 delegates registering and participating in the convention. The convention endorsed Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker
for Governor with 91% of the vote.
United States Senate
United States House of Representatives
Legislative leadership
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...
affiliate of the United States Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(GOP). The state party chair is Brad Courtney. The state party is divided into 72 county parties for each of the state's counties, and also into eight congressional district organizations for the state's eight congressional districts.
The 2009 Wisconsin GOP Convention was held in La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
on May 1st, with the highlight being straw polls for the upcoming 2010 gubernatorial and senatorial elections.
Origins
The origins of the Republican Party in Wisconsin are ingrained with the history of the Republican Party in the United States. The first official Republican party meeting was held 1854 in the town of Ripon, Wisconsin.It all started inside of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. Inside the Whig Party, there was much internal conflict regarding party philosophy on several issues, the most prominent being slavery. This is where such men as Alvin Earl Bovay and Horace Greeley come into the story. Bovay was a lawyer in the state of Wisconsin in the town of Ripon. Greeley was a prominent editor of several newspapers (in New York) throughout his career. Both men met at the Whig convention of 1852 in New York where in they had a discussion about how they felt the Whig party was slowly falling apart. It was during this conversation that Horace Greeley and Bovay came up with the name Republican for the party they would eventually be considered the fathers of. According to Professor A.F. Gillman, the name was chosen from the Latin 'Res Publica', meaning 'you are as good as I'. The slogan was mean to display equality, as the big topic of the day was of course slavery and this expressed the parties desire to abolish slavery and promote equality.
After the convention, Bovay went back to Wisconsin and continued to fight for the Whig party, but with the presidential elections of 1852 dashing the last hopes of the Whig party, the party had decidedly ended. Many members went to the newly formed Know-Nothing party. What happened after this is described by Professor Gillman as "a spirit of unrest". What really lit the fuse was the passing of the Nebraska Bill. This lead to Greely calling for the first ever meeting of the Republican party in Ripton, Wisconsin with Bovay organizing the meeting place. It was held at 6:30pm on Wednesday, March 1st of 1854. The meeting was meant for the Republican party to not only come out as a party but to protest what they thought was an egregious act by the pro slave states in the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act.
2010 convention
The 2010 Republican Party of Wisconsin Convention was held May 21-23 in MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. The Convention was the largest in RPW history with over 1500 delegates registering and participating in the convention. The convention endorsed Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker
Scott Walker (politician)
Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
for Governor with 91% of the vote.
Current elected officials
The Wisconsin Republican Party controls four of the five statewide offices and holds a majority in both the Wisconsin Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly. Republicans also hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats and 5 of the state's 8 U.S. House of Representatives seats.United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
- Senator: Ron Johnson
United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
- WI-01: Paul RyanPaul Ryan (politician)Paul Davis Ryan is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been ranked among the party's most influential voices on economic policy....
- WI-05: Jim SensenbrennerJim SensenbrennerFrank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. is an American politician who has been a member of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives since 1979, representing . The district, the state's richest, includes many of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs, and extends into rural...
- WI-06: Tom PetriTom PetriThomas Evert Petri is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1979. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes most of the east-central part of the state.-Early life, education, and early career:...
- WI-07: Sean DuffySean DuffySean Patrick Duffy is an American politician, prosecutor, former sports commentator and reality television personality. He first entered public life as a cast member on The Real World: Boston and 2002's Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons, before going on to serve as district...
- WI-08: Reid Ribble
Statewide offices
- Governor: Scott WalkerScott Walker (politician)Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
- Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of WisconsinThe Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the order of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the Governor of Wisconsin...
: Rebecca KleefischRebecca KleefischRebecca Kleefisch is a former television news anchor, turned American politician, and is currently serving as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin... - Attorney General: J.B. Van Hollen
- TreasurerState TreasurerIn the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
: Kurt W. SchullerKurt W. SchullerKurt W. Schuller is the State Treasurer of Wisconsin and a businessman.Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Schuller graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with an associate degree in management and communications. Schuller owned and managed restaurants and lives in Eden, Wisconsin...
Legislative leadershipWisconsin LegislatureThe Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Wisconsin Senate and the lower Wisconsin Assembly...
- President of the SenatePresident of the SenateThe President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
: Mike Ellis- Senate Majority Leader: Scott L. FitzgeraldScott L. FitzgeraldScott L. Fitzgerald is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 13th District since 1994.-Early life, education and career:...
- Senate Majority Leader: Scott L. Fitzgerald
- Speaker of the Assembly: Jeff FitzgeraldJeff Fitzgerald (Wisconsin politician)Jeff Fitzgerald is an American politician. He is a Republican Party member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 39th Assembly District since 2000. He is the Speaker of the Assembly in the 100th Wisconsin Legislature....
- Assembly Majority Leader: Scott SuderScott SuderScott Suder is an American politician from Abbotsford, Wisconsin. He is currently the Republican Majority Leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 69th district since January 1998. He succeeded Robert K. Zukowski....
- Assembly Majority Leader: Scott Suder
External links
- WisGOP.org, the Republican Party of Wisconsin website
- "Wisconsin and the Republican Party" from the Wisconsin Historical SocietyWisconsin Historical SocietyThe Wisconsin Historical Society is simultaneously a private membership and a state-funded organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of North America, with an emphasis on the state of Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West...