David W. Ward (born April 29, 1953) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

dairy farmer, lobbyist, and Republican politician. He was 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, ...

from 1993 through 2006, representing the western half of Jefferson County, and was a dairy lobbyist for Wisconsin's Cooperative Network until 2019.

Biography

Born in

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is on the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkins ...

, Ward was raised on his family's dairy farm, first established at that location in 1844. He graduated from

Fort Atkinson High School Fort Atkinson High School is a public high school in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. It is part of the Fort Atkinson School District. History Fort Atkinson High School was founded in 1866, and its first principal was John Purdy. The original school bui ...

and went on to earn his

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 ...

agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–Platteville (UW–Platteville or UW Platt) is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin. Part of the University of Wisconsin System, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The university has three colleges tha ...

. After college, Ward returned to his family farm and applied some of what he had learned to the improvement of their dairy cattle herd, and the business status of their farm. Ward became active in the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, and eventually became its president. From 1987 through 1992, he was also a member of the board of directors of the Jefferson County Farmco Cooperative. Through his involvement with the Farm Bureau, Ward became interested in politics, and, in 1992, ran for

in the 37th Assembly district. The district had previously been represented by Republican

Randall J. Radtke Randall J. Radtke (born October 23, 1951, in Watertown, Wisconsin), is a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He graduated from Watertown High School as well as the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and the University of Wisconsin–M ...

, who was not seeking eighth term in the Assembly. He faced no opponent in the Republican

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

, and went on to win 55% of the vote over Democrat Jane Marr in the 1992 general election. He was subsequently re-elected six times and resigned before the end of his seventh term, in August 2006. Following his resignation, Ward became a lobbyist on dairy issues for Cooperative Network—a trade association representing the interests of cooperatives and their producer-members—and later became overall director of government relations for the network. He also became a part-time educator, teaching agricultural policy at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. In 2018 and 2019, he served on the Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0, which worked to develop recommendations to help Wisconsin retain its status as a dairy leader.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1992–2004)

References

External links

* * ''Eye On Lobbying'' Records for David Ward at

Wisconsin Ethics Commission The Wisconsin Ethics Commission is a regulatory agency of the State of Wisconsin which administers and enforces Wisconsin law pertaining to ethics and lobbying. Membership The Commission is made up of six members, two of whom are appointed by the ...

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2019–20202017–20182015–20162013–2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, David People from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Platteville alumni Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1953 births Living people 21st-century American politicians