Gary R. Goyke (born May 9, 1947) is a former member of the Wisconsin State Senate and a lobbyist. He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Background

Goyke was born in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

. He attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from Saint Mary's University. Goyke worked as a staff member for U.S. Senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

Political career

Goyke was elected to the Senate in 1974 and was re-elected in 1978. In 1979, he was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives from

Wisconsin's 6th congressional district Wisconsin's 6th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply th ...

in a special election following the death of

William A. Steiger William Albert Steiger (May 15, 1938 – December 4, 1978) was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1967 to his death from a heart attack in Washington, DC, in 1978. He served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican from Wis ...

. He lost to

Tom Petri Thomas Evert Petri (born May 28, 1940) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1979 to 2015; he is a member of the Republican Party. Early life Petri was born in Marinette, Wisconsin. When he was a toddler, his fat ...

. The following year, he ran again and lost again to Petri. Goyke remained in the Wisconsin Senate until 1983. During his time in office, Goyke served as the chair of several committees and subcommittees, including Education and State Institutions and Banking and Insurance.

Personal life

Goyke is a member of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus. Additionally, he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

, the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...

and the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. He is married with two sons. In November 2012, one of his sons,

Evan Goyke Evan Goyke (born November 24, 1982) is an American attorney and academic serving as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was first elected in 2012 as a Democrat, succeeding fellow Democrat Tamara Grigsby. His father is former state sena ...

, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 18th district.

Background

Political career

Personal life

References

See also