Horace W. Wilkie

The Honorable
Horace W. Wilkie
The Honorable Horace W. Wilkie
21st Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
	In office; August 1, 1974 – May 23, 1976
Preceded by	E. Harold Hallows
Succeeded by	Bruce F. Beilfuss
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
	In office; June 5, 1962 – May 23, 1976
Appointed by	Gaylord Nelson
Preceded by	Grover L. Broadfoot
Succeeded by	Shirley Abrahamson
Member of the Wisconsin Senate; from the 26th district
	In office; January 7, 1957 – June 5, 1962
Preceded by	Gaylord Nelson
Succeeded by	Fred A. Risser
Personal details
Born	January 9, 1917; Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 23, 1976 (aged 59); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Resting place	Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Marian Cora Beardsley (died 1998)
Children	5 daughters
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison; George Washington University;
Profession	lawyer, judge
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Coast Guard

Horace White Wilkie (January 9, 1917 – May 23, 1976) was an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He was the 21st Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (1974–1976) and served a total of 14 years on the court (1962–1976). Before being appointed to the Court, he served five years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Madison, Wisconsin.

Biography

Born in Madison, Wisconsin,^[1] Wilkie graduated from what is now the University of Wisconsin–Madison and received his law degree from George Washington University. During World War II, Wilkie served in the United States Coast Guard. After the war, he helped revive the Democratic Party of Wisconsin with other young liberals and former members of the Wisconsin Progressive Party in what was known as the Democratic Organizing Committee.^[2] He ran for Congress three times in 1948, 1950, and 1952. In 1956, Wilkie was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate.^[2] In 1962, he was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and in 1974, became chief justice of the court, serving until his death.^[2]^[3]^[4] Wilkie died of a heart attack in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1976.^[1]

An odd coincidence of Justice Wilkie's career is that his successors in the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin Supreme Court both became the longest-serving members of those respective bodies. Fred A. Risser, who succeeded him in the Senate, served from 1962 through 2021.^[5] Shirley Abrahamson, who succeeded him on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, served from 1976 through 2019.^[6] She died on December 19, 2020, in Berkeley, California.

References

^ ^a ^b "Chief Justice Wilkie Dies in Pennsylvania". The Sheboygan Press. May 24, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Chief Justice Horace Wilkie". The Capital Times. May 25, 1976. p. 40. Retrieved July 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Horace Wilkie, Wisconsin Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
^ "Chief Justice Horace Wilkie, Wisconsin Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
^ Johnson, Shawn (March 26, 2020). "Fred Risser, Nation's Longest-Serving State Legislator, To Retire". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Gaylord Nelson	Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 26th district January 7, 1957 – June 5, 1962	Succeeded by Fred A. Risser
Legal offices
Preceded by Grover L. Broadfoot	Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court June 5, 1962 – May 23, 1976	Succeeded by Shirley Abrahamson
Preceded by E. Harold Hallows	Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court September 11, 1974 – May 23, 1976	Succeeded by Bruce F. Beilfuss