William E. Jordan was a stenographer and bricklayer

Bricklayer

A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...

 from Milwaukee, 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...

 who served three terms as a Socialist

Socialist Party of America

The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...

 member of 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 11th Milwaukee County district (11th and 23rd wards of the City of Milwaukee).

Background

Jordan was born September 10, 1883 in East Prussia

East Prussia

East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...

, Germany

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

. He came with his
parents to the United States in 1891. They settled in Milwaukee, where he attended the Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 87,360 students, and as of 2006 employed 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the 33rd largest in the United States by enrollment...

. He attended a business college

Business college

A business college is a school that provides education above the high school level but could not be compared to that of a regular University or College...

 and worked four years as a stenographer. At age 21 he learned the bricklayers' trade, and became a member of the bricklayers union

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers is a labor union in the United States and Canada which represents bricklayers, pointers/cleaners/caulkers, stone and marble masons, cement masons, plasterers, tilesetters, terrazzo and mosaic workers...

 in October 1910.

Assembly

Although active in his union, Jordan had never held a public office before being elected to the Assembly in November, 1916 to succeed fellow Socialist (and union activist) James Vint

James Vint

James H. Vint was a machinist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who served three terms as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.- Background :...

. Jordan received 2160 votes to 1985 for Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 William A. Klug and 73 votes for Prohibitionist A. J. Jorgenson. He was assigned to the standing committee

Standing Committee

In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...

 on municipalities.

He was re-elected in 1918, with 2753 votes to 1958 for Republican

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...

 John L. Bieszk. He remained on the municipalities committee, and was also appointed to a special joint committee

Joint committee

A Joint Committee is a term in politics that is used to refer to a committee made up of members of both chambers of a bicameral legislature. In other contexts, it refers to a committee with members from more than one organization.-Republic of Ireland:...

 on pension

Pension

In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...

s, annuities

Annuity (US financial products)

In the United States an annuity contract is created when an insured party, usually an individual, pays a life insurance company a single premium that will later be distributed back to the insured party over time...

 and retirement

Retirement

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...

 funds for teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s.

He ran unopposed in 1920 and stayed on the municipalities committee.

In 1922, after the Assembly was redistricted

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

, Jordan's old 11th district was split between two districts. Jordan sought re-election in the new 10th Milwaukee County district (16th and 23rd wards), and was defeated by Republican John Eber, who received 3829 votes to Jordan's 2618. The 11th ward from the old district was encompassed in a revised 11th district, which elected Socialist Olaf C. Olsen

Olaf C. Olsen

Olaf C. Olsen was a Socialist from Milwaukee. He was a law student at Marquette University Law School in 1922 when he was elected to the first of his two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 11th Milwaukee County district .- Background :Olsen was born February 26, 1899 in...

.