Charles Mulberger (November 1, 1873November 17, 1931) was an American lawyer, businessman, and
Democratic politician from
Watertown, Wisconsin. He was the 39th mayor of Waterford and served two terms in the
Wisconsin Senate, representing the
33rd Senate district from 1915 to 1923. His father, Henry Mulberger Sr., and two brothers, Henry Jr. and Arthur, also served as mayors of Watertown.
Background
Born in Watertown on November 1, 1873, son of Henry Mulberger Sr. and Mathilda Wolf Mulberger, attended the local
public schools
Public school may refer to:
*State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
*Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...
and
Watertown High School. He graduated from
University of Wisconsin Law School in 1894. He was the manager of Global Milling Company for twenty years.
Public office
He served four years on Watertown's
Common Council, and four as president of the city fire and police commission, and was mayor of Watertown from 1915 to 1921, a title previously held by his father (Henry Mulberger, Sr.) and two of his brothers, Henry Jr. and Arthur (whom he succeeded). In 1914, Mulberger was elected to the
Wisconsin State Senate from
Wisconsin's 33rd State Senate district
The 33rd Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin State Senate. Located in southeastern Wisconsin, the district comprises most of central Waukesha County. It includes the cities of Waukesha and Delafield.
Current ...
(
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Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
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and
Waukesha counties) as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, with 5,890 votes, to 5,157 for
Republican Frank Foote, 61 for
Prohibitionist J. A. McKenzie, and 28 for
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
Gus. Voight. (Republican incumbent
George E. Hoyt
George E. Hoyt (1861 – January 16, 1953) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate.
Biography
Hoyt was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin in 1861. In 1892, he graduated from what was then known as the Northw ...
was not a candidate.) He was assigned to the
standing committee on
corporations
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
. He was re-elected in 1918, with 5,294 votes to 1,014 for Socialist George Neu. He moved to the committee on
state affairs
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Affair may also refer to:
* Foreign affairs,
**as in Foreign policy
**or Foreign Affai ...
, and to the committee on committees. He gained statewide attention as the author of the 1919 "Mulberger Act", which provided for enforcement of the
Prohibition Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) of the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and was ratified by the requisite number of ...
, but legalized the sale of
near beer with up to 2.75% alcohol content (the latter provision was eventually defeated in court). In 1922, he was defeated by Republican
John C. Schumann, who drew 10,865 votes to Mulberger's 3,794.
Mulberger ran once more for mayor of Watertown, but came in third in a tight three-way race, with 1271 votes to 1461 for J. E. McAdams and 1406 for A. H. Hartwig. In 1928, he was the Democratic nominee for
Wisconsin Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second (behind the Lieutenant Governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wiscon ...
, losing to incumbent Republican
Theodore Dammann, who drew 627,244 votes to 232,797 for Mulberger, 36,734 for Socialist
Leo Krzycki
Leo Krzycki (1881-1966) was a chairman of the Socialist Party of America and vice president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
Background
Leo C. Krzycki was born on August 10, 1881, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Martin Krzycki and K ...
, 6,517 for Prohibitionist W. C. Pickering, and 1,510 for Peter Ordanoff of the
Workers' Party.
Later years
Mulberger continued to live in the family home at 311 S. Washington Street (now part of the
South Washington Street Historic District). He had suffered a severe
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
in 1927, but continued in the occasional practice of law. He died November 16, 1931, of
apoplexy, leaving a widow not named in his obituaries.
"JOINT RESOLUTIONS No. 4, 1931: Relating to the public service and death of Charles Mulberger" ''Laws of Wisconsin 1931-1932'' Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Bureau, 1933; pg. 117-118
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulberger, Charles
1873 births
1931 deaths
University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawyers
Mayors of Watertown, Wisconsin
Wisconsin city council members
Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators
Burials in Wisconsin