Byron C. Ostby (August 17, 1924 – April 28, 2003) was elected a member of the

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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

at the age of 24, while still in law school.

Biography

Ostby was born on August 17, 1924, in

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, son of Brynjulf Ostby and Ingeborg C. (Lerann) Ostby. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Ostby then received his bachelor and law degrees from

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

and then practiced law. He served as honorary consul for Norway and was executive of the Wisconsin Railroad Association. As Honorary Consul to Norway, he was knighted by the king of Norway for his service. His parents (Brynjulf and Ingeborg) were also knighted by King Haakon. He married Helen Wear September 8, 1951, and had three children, Helen Signe Ostby, David Joel Ostby, and Laurie Ostby Kehler. He died in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

Political career

Ostby, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Douglas County 1st District, 1949 to 1951.

References

Politicians from Superior, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Navy sailors United States Navy personnel of World War II 1924 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Wisconsin politicians {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Republican-1920s-stub