Joseph K. Leibham (born June 6, 1969) is 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 ...

business executive and lobbyist who served as a

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member of the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing the 9th District from 2002 to 2014. He previously served in the

Wisconsin 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, e ...

, representing the 26th district from 1998 to 2002. In December 2014, he resigned from the Senate, to become chief

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

for the

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 ...

-based

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 ...

Foley & Lardner Foley & Lardner LLP (often referred to simply as "Foley") is an international law firm founded in 1842. In terms of revenue, it ranked 48th on The American Lawyer's 2022 AmLaw 100 rankings of U.S. law firms, with over $1 billion in gross revenue i ...

. Leibham is married to Heather (née Hanson); they have two sons and a daughter.

Early life, education and career

Leibham was born and raised in Sheboygan, the fourth oldest of 13 children. He attended Pigeon River Public Elementary School, Trinity Lutheran School and

Sheboygan Area Lutheran High School Sheboygan Lutheran High School is a private secondary school in Sheboygan, Wisconsin near the University of Wisconsin–Sheboygan campus on the city's southwest side. It is operated by the Lutheran High School Association of the Greater Sheboyga ...

. He attended the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and Ealing College (London) before graduating from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

in 1991 with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

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. He worked in the food service industry as an account executive for Sargento Foods and the manager of membership development for the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce.

Political career

Sheboygan City Council

From 1993 to 2000, Leibham served on the Sheboygan City Council serving as its president from 1995 to 1996.

Wisconsin State Assembly

Leibham served 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, ...

from 1998 to 2002, representing Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls,

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

and surrounding areas.

Wisconsin State Senate

In 2002, Leibham announced his candidacy for the 9th Senate District. He narrowly defeated, by 46 votes, James Baumgart. His 9th Senate District comprises the northern half of Sheboygan and southern half of Manitowoc counties, as well as portions of

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and Fond du Lac counties. He served as the Senate President Pro Tempore. He was the assistant minority leader in 2007 and the majority caucus vice chairperson in 2003. Leibham has called for the repeal of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

, calling it a "top priority." In December 2014, he resigned from the Senate, saying he was prohibited by state law from discussing job offers in the private sector while he was a sitting legislator. Two days later, it was announced that Leibham would accept a position as chief

for the

-based

Congressional bid

In 2014, rather than seek re-election, Leibham ran 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 ...

for 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 the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

; he lost to

Glenn Grothman Glenn S. Grothman (; born July 3, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to his seat in 2014. Grothman r ...

References

External links

Joseph K. Leibham
at Foley & Lardner
Joseph Leibham
at

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Senator Joseph K. Leibham
at

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 ...

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Leibham, Joe Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly American Lutherans 1969 births Living people Politicians from Sheboygan, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin American lobbyists University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Alumni of the University of West London 21st-century American politicians University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni