John Charles Schafer (May 7, 1893 – June 9, 1962) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Born in

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 ...

, Schafer fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, serving for twenty-two months. In 1921, he was elected to 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, ...

before running for Congress a year later. Schafer was first elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

as a Republican to the 68th Congress representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. He was then reelected to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933). He lost his reelection bids in 1932, and failed in 1934 and 1936 to regain his old seat. In 1938, with the Democrats divided, he regained his old seat for the Seventy-sixth Congress. In 1940 he was again ousted by Democrat

Thaddeus Wasielewski Thaddeus Francis Boleslaw Wasielewski (December 2, 1904 – April 25, 1976) was an American lawyer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who spent six years as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States House of Representatives, U.S. Repres ...

(whom he'd narrowly beaten in 1938), coming in third behind Wasielewski and

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 ...

former

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Leonard C. Fons (Wasielewski polled 57,381 votes 5.62% Fons 52,907 2.84%and Schafer 50,796 1.53%. Schafer unsuccessfully contested the election results. Schafer ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1957 to fill the vacancy left by the death of

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

. Schafer returned to private life and died in Pewaukee in 1962.

External links

* 1893 births 1962 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee People from Pewaukee, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Wisconsin politicians {{Wisconsin-Representative-stub