The Sixty-Third Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session, and reconvened in a special session from to . This was the high water mark for the power of the Wisconsin Progressive Party, as they controlled both chambers of the Legislature and the Governor's office. Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 3, 1936. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 6, 1934.

Major events

* January 4, 1937: Third inauguration of Philip La Follette as Governor of Wisconsin. * January 20, 1937: Second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President of the United States. The first presidential inauguration to take place on January 20. * May 6, 1937: The commercial airship LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' was

destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...

in an accidental fire while attempting to dock at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, in New Jersey, killing 35 passengers and crew. * July 7, 1937: The

Marco Polo Bridge Incident The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident () or the July 7 Incident (), was a July 1937 battle between China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army. Since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria ...

between forces of the Empire of Japan and the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, ignited the Second Sino-Japanese War. * July 22, 1937: The United States Senate rejected U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's proposal to add seats to the United States Supreme Court. * October 16, 1937: Wisconsin lieutenant governor Henry Gunderson resigned. * March 13, 1938: German leader Adolf Hitler declared the

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

of Austria. * May 16, 1938: Herman Ekern was appointed lieutenant governor of Wisconsin to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry Gunderson. * September 29, 1938: The Munich Agreement was signed by German, Italian, French, and British delegates, resolving the

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...

crisis by allowing Germany to annex the contested territory from Czechoslovakia. * November 8, 1938: 1938 United States general election: **

Julius P. Heil Julius Peter Heil (July 24, 1876November 30, 1949) was an American politician and the 30th Governor of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1943. Early life Heil, a Jewish immigrant to the United States, was born in Düssmund an der Mosel, Germany. As a ch ...

(R) elected Governor of Wisconsin. **

Alexander Wiley Alexander Wiley (May 26, 1884 – October 26, 1967) was an American politician who served four terms in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1963. When he left the Senate, he was its most senior Republican member. ...

(R) elected United States senator from Wisconsin. * November 9, 1938: Nazi activists and paramilitaries in Germany engaged in a nationwide pogrom against Jewish businesses and religious spaces, known as '' Kristallnacht''. * December 17, 1938: Otto Hahn discovered the

nuclear fission Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radio ...

of Uranium.

Major legislation

* 1937 Act 51: Created the Wisconsin Labor Relations Board.

Party summary

Senate summary

Assembly summary

Sessions

* Regular session: January 13, 1937July 2, 1937 * September 1937 special session: September 15, 1937October 16, 1937

Leaders

Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Henry Gunderson ( P) ** Herman Ekern ( P) * President pro tempore:

Walter J. Rush Walter J. Rush (April 22, 1871 – April 16, 1961) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. From 1929 to 1940, Rush represented the Wisconsin Senate, District 24, 24th district, which at the time included Taylor County, Wisconsin, Taylor, W ...

( P–

Neillsville Neillsville is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,384 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History The Ojibwa were the earliest known residents of the Neillsville area. The first settlers of Europ ...

)

Assembly leadership

Speaker of the Assembly Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

Paul Alfonsi Paul R. Alfonsi (February 13, 1908November 22, 1989) was an American educator, businessman, and Progressive Republican politician from northern Wisconsin. He was the 55th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and served a total of 20 years ...

( P–

Pence A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Sixty-Third Wisconsin Legislature: WI Senate Partisan Map 1937

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Sixty-Third Wisconsin Legislature: WI Assembly Partisan Map 1937

WI Assembly Partisan Map 1937 MilwaukeeCo

Committees

Senate committees

* Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and LaborJ. E. Leverich, chair * Senate Standing Committee on CommitteesE. M. Rowlands, chair * Senate Standing Committee on Contingent ExpendituresR. E. Kannenberg, chair * Senate Standing Committee on Corporations and TaxationW. J. Rush, chair * Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public WelfareP. E. Nelson, chair * Senate Standing Committee on HighwaysF. E. Panzer, chair * Senate Standing Committee on the JudiciaryH. J. Severson, chair * Senate Standing Committee on Legislative ProcedureW. J. Rush, chair * Senate Standing Committee on State and Local GovernmentA. L. Zimny, chair

Assembly committees

* Assembly Standing Committee on AgricultureH. W. Schilling, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and ManufacturesE. W. Blomquist, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on ConservationP. A. Hemmy, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Contingent ExpendituresJ. L. Sieb, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on EducationA. A. Hitt, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on ElectionsA. D. Kelly, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Engrossed BillsB. B. Kroenke, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Enrolled BillsM. Franzkowiak, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and FeesA. J. Balzer, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on HighwaysE. D. Hall, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and BankingJ. W. Grobschmidt, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on the JudiciaryB. M. Vaughan, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on LaborD. Sigman, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on MunicipalitiesM. H. Hall, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on PrintingT. Swanson, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Public WelfareE. H. Kiefer, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on RevisionJ. L. Barber, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on RulesH. B. Wegner, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on State AffairsJ. D. Millar, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on TaxationH. S. Halvorsen, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on Third ReadingM. O. Kryszak, chair * Assembly Standing Committee on TransportationJ. T. Pritchard, chair

Joint committees

* Joint Standing Committee on FinanceE. M. Rowlands (Sen.) & E. J. Hoesly (Asm.), co-chairs

Employees

Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Lawrence R. Larsen ** Assistant Chief Clerk: Arno C. Handel * Sergeant-at-Arms: Emil A. Hartman ** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Albert E. Daley

Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Lester R. Johnson * Sergeant-at-Arms:

Gustave Rheingans Gustave Rheingans (September 8, 1890 – February 28, 1951) was an American politician and farmer. Born in the Town of Eagle Point, Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Rheingans grew up on a farm. In 1920, he moved to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and ...

** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Phillip K. Lalor