George E. Molinaro (October 1, 1902September 29, 1978) 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 ...
businessman and politician. He was the 74th
Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and ...
. A
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 ...
, he served a total of 30 years in the Assembly, representing
Kenosha, Wisconsin
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, Kenos ...
, and was a member of the Democratic Assembly caucus leadership for many years. He was also one of the charter members of
UAW Local 72 in Kenosha, and was involved in the leadership of that Local for more than a decade.
Early life and career
Born in
Kenosha, Wisconsin
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, Kenos ...
, Molinaro was educated in the Kenosha
public schools and attended the Kenosha Business College before going to work as an auto worker and production inspector at the
Nash Motors
Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 195 ...
plant in Kenosha. There, he became involved with the
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...
union and was one of the charter members of Kenosha's
UAW Local 72.
He served four years as vice president of Local 72, and was a member of the executive committee for twelve years. Molinaro worked at Nash Motors through its transition to
American Motors Corporation
American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
, and retired from American Motors after 45 years of labor in 1965.
Political career
Molinaro made his first attempt at elected office in 1937, running unsuccessfully for the
Kenosha County
Kenosha County is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 169,151 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth most populous county in Wisconsin. The county shares the same name as the city of Kenosh ...
Board of Supervisors. He ran again in 1939, this time winning the seat. He ultimately served on the county board through 1947.
In 1946, Molinaro launched a
primary challenge
In U.S. politics, a primary challenge is when an incumbent holding elective office is challenged by a member of their own political party in a primary election. Such events, known informally as "being primaried," are noteworthy and not frequent ...
against incumbent state representative
Matt G. Siebert
Matt G. Siebert (March 11, 1883 – October 26, 1961) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Biography
Siebert was born on March 11, 1883, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He was married to Carolina J. Lager. Siebert died on October 26, 1961, ...
. In the August primary, Molinaro narrowly defeated Siebert, taking 53% of the vote.
Siebert, however, after losing the
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
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Works
* ...
chose to run as an independent. Molinaro prevailed with 46% in the general election over Siebert and Republican candidate
George E. Mahoney.
Two years later, in 1948, Siebert returned to run as a Republican; Molinaro defeated him for a third time.
Molinaro was subsequently reelected another thirteen times.
In the Assembly, Molinaro served in several leadership positions in the Democratic caucus. He was Democratic minority leader for the 1951–1952 and 1953–1954 sessions, was chosen as
Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and ...
when the Democrats held the Assembly majority in the 74th Wisconsin Legislature (1959–1960), was speaker pro tempore for 1965–1966 session, and was Democratic caucus chairman for the 1961–1962, 1963–1964, and 1967–1968 sessions.
He was, for several sessions, chairman of the Assembly Rules Committee, and was a member or chairman of the powerful Joint Finance Committee for nearly his entire Assembly career.
One of his chief accomplishments in the
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...
was the passage of a series of laws in 1965 which established two new branches of the
University of Wisconsin System—
University of Wisconsin–Parkside
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university o ...
and
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW-Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with regional campuses in Marinette, Wisconsin, Marinette, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Shebo ...
. He had worked for years to establish a University of Wisconsin branch in the Kenosha–Racine area.
In recognition for his efforts to establish the branch and for his efforts to support funding for higher education in the state, UW–Parkside made him an honorary alumnus, and
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
awarded him an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
.
Later years
In 1961, while serving in the Legislature, Molinaro became involved in the founding of American State Bank in Kenosha.
He served as the first president of the bank and was then chairman of the bank until his death in 1978.
Personal life and legacy
Molinaro was a
first generation Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
. His parents, Raffaele (Ralph) and Teresa Molinaro (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Marano), had
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to the United States from the province of
Cosenza
Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...
in the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
. He had nine brothers and sisters, including television actor
Al Molinaro and Kenosha County district attorney Joseph Molinaro.
George Molinaro married Madeleine R. Jensen on March 2, 1946, at Kenosha's Holy Rosary
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Molinaro was a frequent
smoker and was rarely seen without a
cigar
A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
or
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
. He died at age 76 at
University of Wisconsin Hospital 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 ...
, after suffering from
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
and
emphysema
Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...
for several months.
After his death,
University of Wisconsin–Parkside
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university o ...
named a major building complex George Molinaro Hall in his honor.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly, Kenosha 2nd district (1946–1952)
Wisconsin Assembly, Kenosha 1st district (1954–1970)
Wisconsin Assembly, 64th district (1972, 1974)
References
External links
Molinaro, George 1902at
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
Campus Mapat
University of Wisconsin–Parkside
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university o ...
1965 Wisconsin Act 259
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Molinaro, George E.
Politicians from Kenosha, Wisconsin
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
County supervisors in Wisconsin
Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly
1902 births
1978 deaths
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American businesspeople
United Auto Workers people