Edmund J. Berner (May 17, 1864 – May 15, 1917) was a trade union activist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who served four terms as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Background

Berner was born in

Freistadt, Wisconsin Mequon () is the largest city in Ozaukee County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and the third-largest city in Wisconsin by land area. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Interstate 43, the comm ...

Ozaukee County Ozaukee County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 91,503. Its county seat is Port Washington, Wisconsin, Port Washington, making it one of thre ...

on May 17, 1864, and came to Milwaukee in 1872. A

cigar maker A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the fill ...

by trade, he became active in the

Cigar Makers' International Union The Journeymen Cigar Makers' International Union of America (CMIU) was a labor union established in 1864 that represented workers in the cigar industry. The CMIU was part of the American Federation of Labor from 1887 until its merger in 1974. Org ...

and the trade union movement, and held various offices therein before being elected to the Assembly.

Legislative races and service

In 1896, Berner ran for the Assembly for the 9th district of Milwaukee County (9th ward of the City of Milwaukee) as a Democrat/ Populist, losing to Republican Reinhard Klabunde. In 1902, he ran as a Socialist, losing to Democrat

Jacob Kehrein Jacob Kehrein (born December 5, 1846) was a Prussian-born American schoolteacher and a Democratic Party politician who served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Early life and education Kehrein was born in Kroetzenach, Kingdom of Pruss ...

, who received 1,043 votes against 1,031 for Republican George Christianson, 939 for Berner, and 40 for independent Louis Ziener. In 1904, Berner challenged incumbent Kehrein and won, with 1,348 votes to 1,168 votes for Republican Frank Mueller, 844 votes for Kehrein, and 28 votes for Independent Republican Elias Lehman. He was assigned to the standing committee on public health and sanitation. He was re-elected in 1906, defeating both Kehrein and Republican Arthur Lambeck; and was additionally assigned to the Assembly committee on libraries. In 1908 he again won out over Democratic and Republican opponents. He now listed himself as a "cigar dealer" by trade, and transferred to the Assembly committee on

public improvements Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

. He was re-elected again in 1910, for the first time polling more votes than his two major party opponents combined; and moved to the Assembly's committees on national and interstate relations, on cities, and on legislative procedure. In 1912, he chose to run for the Wisconsin State Senate's 6th District seat, losing by a 97-vote margin to Democrat George Weissleder. He was succeeded in the Assembly by Democrat William E. Walsh. He died in Milwaukee on May 15, 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berner, Edmund J. 1864 births 1917 deaths Cigar makers Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee People from Mequon, Wisconsin Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin