Fred A. Risser (born May 5, 1927) is a retired American Democratic politician. He holds the record as the longest-serving state legislator in American history, having served 58 years in 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 ...

and six years in 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, ...

. Risser represented districts in central and western

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 ...

, including the campus of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. He was president of the Senate for 26 years and never lost an election.Frank Bures
"Backstory: The iron man of state politics"
''The Christian Science Monitor'', March 1, 2007. By 2019 Risser was the last

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 ...

veteran serving as a state legislator in the United States.

Early life, education and career

Risser was born in Madison, Wisconsin on May 5, 1927 into a prolific Wisconsin political family. Risser's father ( Fred E. Risser), grandfather ( Ernest Warner), and great-grandfather ( Clement Warner) served at various times as Wisconsin legislators representing part or all of

Dane County Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

, although none were Democrats. Risser served in 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 ...

during

from 1945 to 1946. He was sworn into the Navy shortly before his high school graduation and

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

. He was a medic and served in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

and the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

. Risser used the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

to attend college, attending the

and

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

in Northfield, Minnesota before earning a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

at the

University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...

. He became a member of the

State Bar of Wisconsin The State Bar of Wisconsin (SBW) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for all attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license, the State Bar of Wisconsin aids the courts i ...

and the

Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar Association (OSBA) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulat ...

and practiced law in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Legislature

Wisconsin Assembly

Risser was first elected to the

in 1956, succeeding fellow Democrat Ivan A. Nestingen (who had resigned in April of that year). He was elected to the state Senate in a 1962 special election triggered by the appointment of Horace W. Wilkie to the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

. He was succeeded in the Wisconsin Assembly by fellow Democrat

Edward Nager Edward Nager (July 22, 1927 - March 18, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served six terms as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Madison, Wisconsin. Background Nager was born in New York City on July 22, 1927 ...

Wisconsin Senate

Risser was elected to a full term in 1964 and was reelected every four years until his retirement. He rose through the ranks quickly, becoming the Minority Leader in 1967, which he credits to his intense study of

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...

. In his 2004 electoral victory, he received more than 80% of the vote, facing opposition only from a Green Party candidate and no Republican opponent. In the 2007–08 session of the Wisconsin State Senate, Risser was elected as President of the Senate. He held this position on several prior occasions. He also has been President Pro Tempore, Minority Leader (1967–1973) and Assistant Minority Leader in the State Senate.

2011 Wisconsin protests

During the protests in Wisconsin, Risser, along with the 13 other Democratic State Senators, left the state to deny the State Senate a quorum on Governor Scott Walker's "Budget Repair" legislation.

Retirement

On March 26, 2020, Risser announced that he would not run for re-election in November 2020.

Other political involvement

Risser was a delegate to both the

1960 Democratic National Convention The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president. In ...

and the 1964 Democratic National Convention. He served as the Chair of Wisconsin's

Presidential electors The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

during the 1964 presidential election.

Personal life

Risser's first wife, Betty, died after 21 years of marriage. Risser is married to Nancy Risser, a retired

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

teacher. He has three children and several grandchildren.

References

External links

* *
Fred Risser recalls his 1959 vote to give public employees in Wisconsin the right to join unions and bargain collectively
''Wisconsin Eye'', February 22, 2011, video interview * {{DEFAULTSORT:Risser, Fred A. 1927 births United States Navy personnel of World War II Carleton College alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Oregon lawyers 2012 United States presidential electors Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin United States Navy sailors University of Oregon alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Presidents of the Wisconsin Senate Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 2008 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin Military personnel from Madison, Wisconsin