Gerald Lorge

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Gerald David Lorge (July 9, 1922Template:Spaced ndashFebruary 14, 2001) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served 30 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Outagamie and Waupaca counties, and earlier served four years in the State Assembly. At the time of his death, he was the fifth longest-serving member of the Wisconsin Senate.[1]

Early life

Born in Bear Creek, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, Lorge graduated from Bear Creek High School and worked briefly at the YMCA before the outbreak of World War II. In 1942, he enlisted for service in the United States Marine Corps and, in 1943, was deployed to the Pacific theater with the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.[1] In early 1944, he was injured and spent several weeks at a naval hospital on Samoa.[2] Afterward, he was reassigned to San Diego, California, and subsequently received an honorable discharge.

Career

Lorge was one of three Republicans challenging incumbent Assemblymember William M. Rohan in the 1950 primary. Rohan had long been a member of the Democratic Party, but had run as a Republican since 1946, after the collapse of the Wisconsin Progressive Party. Lorge prevailed in the four-way primary,[3] and won the general election with 59% of the vote, with Rohan in the race as an independent candidate.[4] Rohan returned for a head-to-head contest in the 1952 Republican primary, but Lorge prevailed again.[5]

In 1946, he had begun attending Marquette University but did not complete a degree before being elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. Following the end of the spring 1951 legislative session, however, he returned to Marquette and received his J.D. in 1952. He started a law practice in Bear Creek that year, and was re-elected to the Assembly that Fall.

In 1954, State Senator Gordon A. Bubolz resigned, necessitating a 1954 special election to fill the remaining two years of his term. Lorge won a contested Republican primary and was unopposed in the November election. He was subsequently elected to a full term in 1956, and was re-elected six more times.

After the death of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1957, Lorge ran in the Republican primary to serve out the remainder of his term, but came in a distant 6th place.[6]

In 1974, Lorge made another attempt at statewide election, running for Attorney General of Wisconsin. He was unopposed for the Republican nomination, but lost the general election to Bronson La Follette, who was returning to the office he had previously held in the 1960s.[7]

In the 1980s, Wisconsin underwent a painful redistricting process as the Governor and Legislature were unable to agree on a map. The issue was referred to federal courts, and a court-ordered map was implemented in 1982. Prompted by the court's map, which eviscerated existing legislative districts, the Legislature came back and agreed on a replacement map in 1983. After these edits, Lorge's 14th State Senate district had been radically redrawn. For the previous 30 years, the district had been anchored on his native Outagamie County and neighboring Waupaca County. In 1983, the district now barely contained any of Outagamie County, and stretched all the way across central Wisconsin to Monroe County.[8]

Rather than run for another term in the mangled district, Lorge, who was then the most senior member of the State Senate, chose to retire.[8][1] His son, William, attempted a run in the new Senate district, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Waupaca businessman Joseph Leean.[9]

After leaving the Senate, Lorge made one final bid for elected office in 1985, running for Wisconsin circuit court judge in Outagamie County, but was defeated in the primary.[10]

Lorge devoted more time to his law practice after leaving public office, and welcomed his son, Robert, as a partner in the firm, now known as Lorge & Lorge.[11]

Personal life

He married Christina "Tina" Ziegler in 1958. Together, they had two sons and three daughters. William served five terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Robert was the Republican nominee in the 2006 United States Senate election in Wisconsin, but lost to incumbent senator Herb Kohl.

Lorge died at his home in Bear Creek, Wisconsin, in February 2001.[12]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1950, 1952)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1950 Primary[3] September 19 Gerald Lorge rowspan="3" valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 1,415 41.03% William M. Rohan (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 1,075 31.17% 3,449 340
Gus Hanges valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 580 16.82%
Carl Konrad valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 379 10.99%
General[4] November 7 Gerald Lorge rowspan="2" valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 6,106 59.05% Katherine Sullivan valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 2,306 22.30% 10,340 3,800
William M. Rohan (inc.) valign="top" Template:Party shading/Independent | Ind. 1,928 18.65%
1952 Primary[5] September 9 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 4,190 59.12% William M. Rohan valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 2,897 40.88% 7,087 1,293
General[13] November 4 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 9,661 66.20% Joseph Promer valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 4,932 33.80% 14,593 4,729

U.S. Senate (1957)

United States Senate Special Election in Wisconsin, 1957[6]
Party Candidate Votes % <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />±%Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Republican Primary, July 30, 1957
Script error: No such module "Political party". Walter J. Kohler Jr. Template:Replace 34.43% Script error: No such module "String".
Script error: No such module "Political party". Glenn R. Davis 100,532 31.68%
Script error: No such module "Political party". Alvin E. O'Konski 66,784 21.05%
Script error: No such module "Political party". Warren P. Knowles 23,996 7.56%
Script error: No such module "Political party". Henry P. Hughes 7,488 2.36%
Script error: No such module "Political party". Gerald Lorge 7,326 2.31%
Script error: No such module "Political party". John C. Schafer 1,906 0.60%
Plurality 8,724 2.75%
Total votes 317,288 100.0%

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Wisconsin Attorney General (1974)

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1974[7]
Party Candidate Votes % <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />±%Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
General Election, November 5, 1974
Script error: No such module "Political party". Bronson La Follette Template:Replace 58.10% Script error: No such module "String".
Script error: No such module "Political party". Gerald Lorge 483,232 41.90% Script error: No such module "String".
Plurality 186,736 16.19% 8.96%
Total votes 1,153,200 100.0% -10.50%
Script error: No such module "Political party". gain from Script error: No such module "Political party". Swing 23.42%

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Wisconsin Senate (1954–1980)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1954 Primary[14] September 14 Gerald Lorge valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 10,168 56.71% William S. Pfankuch valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 7,762 43.29% 17,930 2,406
General[15] November 2 Gerald Lorge valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 26,093 100.0% 26,093 26,093
1956 General[6] November 6 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 35,915 75.18% Gordon O. Rodenz valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 11,858 24.82% 47,773 24,057
1960 Primary[16] September 13 Gerald Lorge (inc.) rowspan="2" valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 9,766 50.63% Donald L. Jury valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 5,895 30.56% 19,289 3,871
Gerald K. Anderson valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 3,628 18.81%
General[16] November 8 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 38,278 68.06% Robert F. Stange valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 17,963 31.94% 56,241 20,315
1964 Primary[17] September 8 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 10,600 67.57% George L. Buckley valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 5,087 32.43% 15,687 5,513
General[17] November 3 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 35,208 65.99% Richard K. Wege valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 18,144 34.01% 53,352 17,064
1968 General[18] November 5 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 42,313 100.0% 42,313 42,313
1972 Primary[19] September 12 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 13,890 74.32% Gerald L. McFarren valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Rep. 4,800 25.68% 18,690 9,090
General[19] November 7 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 35,919 72.88% Michael P. Mack valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 13,367 27.12% 49,286 22,552
1976 General[20] November 2 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 36,937 67.47% Robert E. Luedtke valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 17,811 32.53% 54,748 19,126
1980 General[21] November 4 Gerald Lorge (inc.) valign="top" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Republican 34,289 55.43% C. Michael Allen valign="top" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Dem. 27,570 44.57% 61,859 6,719

Outagamie County Circuit Judge (1985)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Ozaukee Circuit, Branch 5 Election, 1985[10]
Party Candidate Votes % <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />±%Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Nonpartisan Primary, February 19, 1985 (top-two)
Script error: No such module "Political party". Michael W. Gage Template:Replace 37.28% Script error: No such module "String".
Script error: No such module "Political party". Kathleen Galles Lhost Template:Replace 28.61% Script error: No such module "String".
Script error: No such module "Political party". Gerald Lorge 1,848 22.94%
Script error: No such module "Political party". David G. Geenen 900 11.17%
Total votes 8,057 100.0%

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References

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  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  19. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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Party political offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Republican nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin
1974 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Template:Error
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Outagamie 2nd district
January 1, 1951Template:Spaced ndashJanuary 3, 1955 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Template:Error
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 14th district
January 3, 1955Template:Spaced ndashJanuary 7, 1985 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

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