Early life

Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...

, Jensen attended Mukwonago High School

Mukwonago High School

Mukwonago High School is located in Mukwonago in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It is part of the Mukwonago Area School District. Approximately 1800 students attend the school, which has over 150 staff members.The building at 308 Washington Ave...

 and graduated from Drake University

Drake University

Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....

 in 1982. He received a masters degree in public policy from Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

's Kennedy School of Government in 1984.

Career

After receiving his graduate degree, Jensen worked in public relations, working as Director of Government Relations for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce from 1984 to 1987.

Jensen began in politics by working as the staff director of the Wisconsin Assembly's Republican caucus from 1987 to 1990, serving under Assembly minority leader David Prosser, Jr.

David 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...

. While there, he ran the first campaign of John Gard

John Gard

John Gard was a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 89th Assembly District from 1987 until 2007. He served as Speaker of the State Assembly from 2003 until 2007....

 for the Wisconsin Assembly in 1987. Jensen the worked as chief of staff for Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson

Tommy Thompson

Thomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...

 from 1990 to 1992.

In 1992, Jensen was elected to 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....

, representing the 32nd district, in a special election. In the special election primary in December 1991, Jensen barely defeated fellow Republican Donald Wilson, 1474 to 1436. He won the general special election against Democrat Shirley Wheelter in January 1992 by a two-to-one margin. Jensen was unopposed in the general election that year, and won by wide margins in elections in 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. In 2002, due to redistricting, Jensen was re-elected to the Assembly representing the 98th district, where he was unopposed in 2004.

Jensen served in the Assembly until 2006. Jensen served as majority leader from 1994 to 1995 and speaker from 1995 to 2002.

After serving in the Wisconsin Assembly, Jensen has worked in the private sector with the Alliance for School Choice and Chartwell Strategic Advisors.

Misconduct charges

In 2002, Jensen was charged with misuse of public workers and state resources as part of a large state scandal that affected both parties. Jensen resigned from office on March 21, 2006, after being initially convicted on three counts on March 12. The conviction was reversed on appeal, however. Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard

Brian Blanchard

-Biography:Blanchard was born on November 7, 1958 in State College, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Michigan and with honors from the Northwestern University School of Law. Blancard is married with three children.-Career:...

 announced that he intends to retry Jensen, although as of late 2009, venue disputes put into question whether prosecution must take place closer to Jensen's residence in Waukesha County

Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Waukesha County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2008, the population was 380,629. Its county seat is Waukesha.-History:The part of Wisconsin that Waukesha County now occupies was a part of Michigan when Milwaukee County was organized in September 1834. On July 4, 1836, the...

.

On December 20, 2010, the felony charges were dropped and Jensen agreed to pay the state of Wisconsin his lawyers fees when they were defending him. Jensen pleaded guilty to an ethics charge.