Gabriel Zophy (April 17, 1869 – September 9, 1947) was an American

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

building contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

, and

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 ...

from

West Allis West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census. History The name West Allis derives from Edward P. Allis, ...

who served one term (1911–1914) as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate representing the

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 ...

-based 7th Senate district (14th and 17th wards of the city of

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 ...

; the towns of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, Oak Creek and Wauwatosa); cities of

South Milwaukee South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census. History South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose o ...

, Wauwatosa, West Allis and Cudahy and the village of West Milwaukee).

Background

Zophy was born on April 17, 1869, in Schwanden, Glarus,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He came to the United States with his parents in 1870 to

Juda, Wisconsin Juda is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the town of Jefferson, in Green County, Wisconsin, United States. Juda is 5 miles east of Monroe along Wisconsin State Highway 11, and 81. As of the 2010 census, its population was ...

(in Green County), where he attended the

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

in winter and worked on farms in the summer. In 1885 he moved to Milwaukee where he learned the trade of carpentry, worked as a journeyman until 1894, when he engaged in the business of contracting and building which he since followed. He located In West Allis in 1901 before its incorporation as a village and took an active interest In public affairs. He became village

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

in 1903 serving one term. Later he was appointed school commissioner.

Senate career

He was a member of the state Central Committee of the Social Democratic Party (as the party was still known in Wisconsin) from West Allis in 1910 when he was elected to the Senate (replacing Republican George E. Page) with 4,344 votes, to 3,864 for Republican George G. Brew (nominally a

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 ...

, but suspected of

stalwart Stalwart is an adjective synonymous with ''"strong"''. It may also refer to: Relating to people: * Stalwart (politics), member of the most patronage-oriented faction of the United States Republican Party in the late 19th century In ships and mil ...

tendencies) and 3374 for

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Benjamin Steinel, and was assigned to the Senate's standing committee on State Affairs.Beck, J. D., ed. ''The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin''. Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1911; pp. 342, 350, 694.
/ref> He was succeeded in the 1914 election by fellow Socialist

Louis A. Arnold Louis A. Arnold (July 13, 1872October 4, 1958) was an Americans, American schoolteacher, HVAC worker and Socialist Party of the United States, Socialist politician from Milwaukee who served two terms (1915–1922) as a member of the Wisconsin Stat ...

(with whom he later served on the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the Commonwealth Mutual Savings Bank, a Socialist-led institution, along with Charles B. Whitnall). He also served as

vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the bank. Zophy died of a heart attack in 1947.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zophy, Gabriel American construction businesspeople American carpenters Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin city council members People from Green County, Wisconsin People from the canton of Glarus People from West Allis, Wisconsin Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin Swiss emigrants to the United States 1869 births 1947 deaths American bankers