Frederick J. Petersen (whose name may be found spelled Frederic or Frederich, and occasionally Peterson even in official documents) (February 24, 1874 – October 14, 1946) 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 ...

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

who served three terms as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Background

Petersen was born in

Neenah, Wisconsin Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River, approximately forty miles (60 km) southwest of Green ...

, on February 24, 1874. He attended Neenah public schools and

Neenah High School Neenah High School is a public high school located in Neenah, Wisconsin. It is the only traditional high school of the Neenah Joint School District. As of fall 2008, approximately 2250 students were enrolled in grades 9 through 12, making it one ...

, and graduated as a doctor of physiotherapy from the Philadelphia Orthopaedic Institute of Physio-Therapy, after which he came to Wisconsin, taking charge of the therapeutic department at the

Northern State Hospital Northern State Hospital is a historic hospital campus in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. It was originally opened in 1912 and closed in 1973. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 4 miles northeast from the city, and ...

at Oshkosh for eight years, then doing the same at a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

for three years, and another in

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

for eight years. He then moved to Milwaukee and went into practice there.

Legislative service

Petersen's official biography of 1921 describes him as taking "a keen interest in municipal, state and national politics", but states falsely that he had "never sought or held a public office until elected to the assembly in 1920". In fact, in 1918 Petersen ran for the Assembly from the Sixth

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

district (the 6th

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the City of Milwaukee) to succeed

incumbent Charles Schiewitz (who was not a candidate for re-election). Petersen lost to

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 ...

Henry Sievers' who drew 1,105 votes to Petersen's 778. Sievers was not a candidate for re-election in 1920, and was succeeded by Petersen, who won by 46 votes, with 1884 votes to 1838 for Socialist Eugene Cooney. He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s on

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

and

public welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

. In 1922, Sievers again faced Cooney, this time widening the margin of victory to 76 votes (1489 to 1413). He remained on the elections committee, but was shifted to the committee on

manufactures Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a range ...

and

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

. In 1924, Petersen challenged Socialist Joseph Padway for the Sixth State Senate District, losing 7248 to 5384. He was succeeded in the Sixth Assembly seat by fellow Republican B. Z. Glass. Glass was not a candidate for re-election in 1926, and Petersen returned to his old Assembly seat, polling 943 votes to 861 for John Lewin and 140 for John B. Traynor (political affiliations unknown). He was assigned once more to the committee on manufactures and commerce. In 1928, Frederick W. Cords, Jr., the son of businessman and former Republican

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

of the

circuit court Fred W. Cords, Sr., defeated Petersen in the Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

Cords went on to win the general election. In 1930 Petersen was one of four challengers to Cords in a five-way primary, coming in third with 333 votes (Cords won a plurality with 734, but was unseated in the general election by Socialist Ben Rubin. In 1932 Petersen was again one of Cords' competitors in another five-way primary over who would challenge Rubin, who was a candidate for re-election; this time Petersen came in fifth, with 165 votes (Cords again took the plurality with 685). In the general election, Cords again faced Rubin, Kaiser and another independent, as well as Petersen running as a nominal independent. This time Kaiser (with

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

at the top of the Democratic ticket) was the victor, with 2240 votes to Cords' 1412, Rubin's 2130, and another 129 for the two independents. Petersen was last in the general election, polling only 37 votes. In 1934, Petersen came out ahead in a three-way Republican primary, becoming the Republican nominee to take on Kaiser, Rubin, Progressive Fred G. Miller, and an independent. He came in fourth, behind Kaiser, Rubin and Miller.

Personal life

Petersen was a Grand Chancellor of the Wisconsin

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

, and helped preside in that capacity over the 1928 international convention of the Knights held in Milwaukee in August 1928. He died October 14, 1946, at his home in Milwaukee."F. J. Petersen Services Today" ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

'' October 16, 1946; p. 4, col. 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Frederick 1874 births 1946 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee Politicians from Neenah, Wisconsin American physiotherapists