Barbara Lynn Ulichny (born June 10, 1947) is an

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attorney,

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, and retired Democratic politician. She was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

for 8 years (1985–1993) after serving six years in the State Assembly, representing northeast

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

Early life and career

Born in

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, she graduated from

Milwaukee Lutheran High School Milwaukee Lutheran High School (MLHS) is a secondary school located in Milwaukee, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The school was originally known as Lutheran High School (LHS). LHS was established in 1903, making Milwaukee Lutheran the oldest L ...

and went on to

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where she earned her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1969. She worked as a high school teacher in

Political career

In 1972, she launched her first political campaign, running for

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, ...

in the newly drawn 10th Assembly district. She was defeated by Republican

Jim Sensenbrenner Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party. ...

, who won his third term in the State Assembly. After the 1972 election, Ulichny continued her work as an activist for women's issues. In 1974, she became the legislative coordinator for the Wisconsin Task Force on Rape, which waged a successful campaign to update Wisconsin's sexual assault laws in the 1975–1976 session of the legislature. Following the successful lobbying campaign, she continued to represent the organization in ongoing advocacy and education, and became the head of the advisory committee for the Sexual Assault Treatment Center of Greater Milwaukee. She was also a delegate to the 1977 national convention for

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and was appointed to the Wisconsin Governor's Committee on the Status of Women. In 1978, she made another run for State Assembly, this time running in the 25th Assembly district. The incumbent,

Jim Moody James Powers Moody (September 2, 1935March 22, 2019) was an American economist and Democratic politician. He served five terms as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 5th congressional district (1983–1993). At the time, the 5th congre ...

, had announced he would not run for reelection in 1978, instead choosing a run for State Senate. The open seat in the heavily Democratic 25th district attracted four Democratic candidates, including Ulichny. Ulichny prevailed in the September

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and did not face a Republican opponent in the general election. She was reelected in 1980 and won election in the redrawn 4th Assembly district in 1982. In 1984, she ran for

, challenging incumbent Republican

Rod Johnston Rodney Kohler "Rod" Johnston (September 2, 1937March 30, 2018) was an American attorney and Republican politician. He served six years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1979–1985) after four years in the State Assembly (1975–1979), repre ...

in the 4th Senate district. Ulichny prevailed in the general election, taking 55% of the vote. She served two four-year terms in the State Senate, reelected in 1988 without a Republican opponent. Ulichny was one of several state politicians caught up in an ethics scandal in 1989, involving receipt of improper lobbyist gifts. For her part, Ulichny paid a $5,000 fine to settle the case, but later said she regretted agreeing to the settlement. Shortly thereafter, the 1992 court-ordered redistricting of Wisconsin placed her in a different Senate district, the heavily Republican 8th Senate district. Faced with a choice between likely defeat in the 8th district or relocating to another district, in June 1992, Ulichny announced she would not seek reelection.

Later years

Ulichny had, earlier, begun law school; after announcing her resignation, she completed the final credits to earn her J.D. from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

. Currently, she is the CEO of Ulichny Consulting and Mediation, a firm that provides public affairs and dispute resolution expertise to a number of private and public sector entities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulichny, Barbara Politicians from Milwaukee Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Women state legislators in Wisconsin Marquette University faculty Northwestern University alumni 1947 births Living people American women chief executives 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians American women academics 21st-century American women