Frederic Emanuel Risser (January 15, 1900September 1, 1971) was an

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 ...

lawyer and

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

politician. He served twelve years as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from Dane County. He was the father of Wisconsin state senator Fred A. Risser, the longest-serving state legislator in American history.

Early life and education

Risser was born in the

Buffalo, Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo is a town in Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 705 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Bluff Siding, East Winona, and Marshland are located in the town. Geography Buffalo occupies the so ...

, on January 15, 1900. After he graduated from

Winona High School } Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,043 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County. Winona is known in the local area as "The Crossroads of North Mississippi"; the intersec ...

in Winona, Minnesota, he spent two years on his father's farm before enrolling at 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 ...

, where he received 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 ...

in 1923 and his LL.B. in 1925.

Career

He taught at Beaver Dam High School for one year, and in 1925 became a practicing attorney in

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 ...

, entering the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

of and eventually forming a partnership with former state legislator Ernest Warner. From 1925 to 1930, he lectured on business law at Madison College.

Wisconsin Senate

Before his election to the Senate in 1936, Risser had served as town clerk of the Town of Madison from 1927 to 1928;

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

of the Highlands Mendota Beach School from 1930 to 1937; was three times elected

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Dane County as a Republican, and in 1933 was president of the Wisconsin District Attorney's Association. From 1925 to 1930 he lectured on business law at Madison Area Technical College. In 1936, Risser was elected to the 26th Senate District (Dane County) by a wide margin in the general election, after winning a

plurality Plurality may refer to: Voting * Plurality (voting), or relative majority, when a given candidate receives more votes than any other but still fewer than half of the total ** Plurality voting, system in which each voter votes for one candidate and ...

in a three-way Progressive Party

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 * ...

(Progressive incumbent

Harold Groves Harold Martin Groves (October 3, 1897 – December 2, 1969) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Groves was born on October 3, 1897, in Lodi, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin– ...

was not a candidate). He was re-elected in 1940 and 1944; but by 1948 the Wisconsin Progressives had merged back into the Republican Party, and (after having to face a challenge in the Republican primary from a non-Progressive), Risser was defeated for re-election in a four-way race by Gaylord Nelson.Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., ed. ''The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950'' Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1950; pp. 655, 757
/ref> After leaving the Senate, Risser continued to practice law. He died on September 1, 1971.

Personal life

Fred Risser married Elizabeth Warner, the daughter of his senior law partner Ernest Warner. Their son, Fred A. Risser, went on to serve 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, ...

(1957–1962) and 58 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1962–2021), making him the longest-serving state legislator in American history.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1936–1948)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Risser, Fred E. People from Buffalo County, Wisconsin Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Progressives (1924) Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 1900 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers