John Patrick Varda (October 1, 1916 – February 20, 1993) was an American politician and jurist from the state of Wisconsin. Varda was born in

Hurley, Wisconsin Hurley is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2010 census. It is located directly across the Montreal River from Ironwood, Michigan. History Hurley is located on the Montreal ...

, the son of Italian immigrants from the area of

Turin, Italy Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

. He received a bachelor's degree from the

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 ...

and a law degree from

in 1940. John met his wife,

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

in law school and afterwards they moved to

Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. Because of the many lakes in the area, the city is a popular vacation and retirement destinatio ...

and opened a law firm: Varda & Varda. In 1941, he 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, ...

as part of the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics. History The Party was the brainchild of Philip La Follette and Robert M. La Follette, Jr., the sons of the famous Wiscon ...

. He resigned from the Wisconsin Assembly to join the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during World War II. His wife Margaret was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly under the Progressive Party replacing her husband, but did not seek reelection and joined her husband in the military after her term. During and after the war, John served as the Deputy Military Governor in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The Vardas returned home from Europe upon the birth of their first child, John Duncan. In 1950, the Vardas moved to

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 ...

where John took a job as general manager of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Association. Varda became involved in commerce laws there, and eventually him and his sons went on to change laws regarding tractor-trailers and the

Dormant Commerce Clause The Dormant Commerce Clause, or Negative Commerce Clause, in American constitutional law, is a legal doctrine that courts in the United States have inferred from the Commerce Clause in Article I of the United States Constitution, Article I of the U ...

of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

. In 1981, John Patrick became

Wisconsin Circuit Court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 10 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and criminal case ...

judge for

Iron County, Wisconsin Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,137, making it the third-least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is Hurley. It was named for the valuable iron ore found wi ...

and moved back to Hurley, Wisconsin. John remained in Hurley for the rest of his life, dying there in 1993 after suffering a heart attack a year earlier. Varda had four sons: John Duncan Varda (attorney), Michael Varda (attorney), Anthony Varda (attorney), and Richard Varda (architect).Family Tree Maker

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varda, John P. 1916 births 1993 deaths Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army personnel of World War II People from Hurley, Wisconsin People from Eagle River, Wisconsin Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state court judges Wisconsin Progressives (1924) 20th-century American legislators Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges American people of Italian descent