John Whitcome Reynolds Jr. (April 4, 1921January 6, 2002) was the 36th

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

(1963–1965) and served 21 years as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (1965–1986). 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 previously served as the 34th Attorney General of Wisconsin (1959–1963). His father,

John W. Reynolds Sr. John Whitcome Reynolds Sr., (October 1, 1876 – February 4, 1958) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 26th Attorney General of Wisconsin from 1927 to 1933. He was elected as a Republican. Biography Reynolds was born in Ja ...

, was the 26th Attorney General of Wisconsin; his grandfather,

Thomas Reynolds Thomas, Tom or Tommy Reynolds may refer to: Politics * Thomas Reynolds (Assemblyman) (1840–1919), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *Thomas Reynolds (Australian politician) (1818–1875), Premier of South Australia, 1860–1861 *Thomas Reyno ...

, was a member of 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, ...

Early life

John W. Reynolds Jr. was born April 4, 1921, in Green Bay,

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 ...

, the son of Madge (Flatley) and

He was educated at Green Bay, and graduated from

Green Bay East High School Green Bay East High School is a public high school in the Green Bay Area Public School District serving the near-east side of Green Bay, Wisconsin and parts of Bellevue and Allouez. Founded in 1856, the school has occupied its current building ...

. He attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, but interrupted his studies in 1942 to enlist in 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 ...

for service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He initially served in the infantry, rising to the rank of master sergeant by 1944. That year, he was commissioned as an officer and transferred to the

Counterintelligence Corps The Counter Intelligence Corps (Army CIC) was a World War II and early Cold War intelligence agency within the United States Army consisting of highly trained special agents. Its role was taken over by the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in 1961 and ...

, where he continued to serve until 1946. He was honorably discharged in 1946 as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, but remained in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

into the 1950s. After leaving active duty, he completed his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

at the University of Wisconsin. He immediately entered University of Wisconsin Law School, where he earned his LL.B. in 1949. While in law school, he became involved with the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

and the Young Democrats and worked as a legal research assistant in the office of the Attorney General of Wisconsin. After graduation, he moved with his wife back to

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

, and started a legal practice there.

Political career

In 1950, Reynolds entered the race for

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 ...

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It is currently represented by Mike Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher won the open seat vacated by Re ...

, challenging three-term incumbent Republican

John W. Byrnes John William Byrnes (June 12, 1913 – January 12, 1985) was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Wisconsin. Byrnes was the U.S. representative for from 1945 to 1973. During this time he was the chairman of the House ...

. Reynolds unanimously received the Democratic nomination, but fell far short of Byrnes in the general election, taking only 38% of the vote. Shortly after the election, however, he was appointed district director of the

Office of Price Stabilization An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duti ...

, where he served until 1953. He also remained influential in local politics and was chairman of the Brown County Democratic Party from 1952 to 1956. In 1955, he was appointed court commissioner for the northern region of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, where he served until beginning his campaign for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1958. At the urging of Democratic State Party Chairman Patrick Lucey, Reynolds entered the race for Attorney General in 1958, hoping to unseat incumbent Stewart G. Honeck. Reynolds faced a difficult Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

against Milwaukee County Democratic Chairman Christ T. Seraphim, who had the endorsement of the state AFL–CIO. Reynolds, however, earned the enthusiastic endorsement of influential Madisonians,

Arthur J. Altmeyer Arthur Joseph Altmeyer (May 8, 1891October 16, 1972) was the United States Commissioner for Social Security from 1946 to 1953, and chairman of the Social Security Board from 1937 to 1946. He was a key figure in the design and implementation of the ...

, known as the father of the

Social Security Act The Social Security Act of 1935 is a law enacted by the 74th United States Congress and signed into law by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The law created the Social Security program as well as insurance against unemployment. The law was pa ...

, and James Edward Doyle, the former chairman of the state party. Reynolds went on to win the primary with a comfortable margin, taking over 60% of the vote. He went on to defeat Honeck with nearly 54% of the general election vote. He was reelected in 1960, and was elected

in 1962. He was defeated seeking reelection in 1964.

1960s redistricting

Following the 1960 United States census, the Wisconsin Legislature failed to pass a redistricting plan in the 1961–1962 session as required by the Wisconsin Constitution. In his capacity as Attorney General of Wisconsin, Reynolds brought a lawsuit in federal court to compel the Legislature to fulfill that obligation. The U.S. District Court appointed former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice

Emmert L. Wingert Emmert Laurson Wingert (April 2, 1899 – February 1, 1971) was an American lawyer and judge from Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and executive counsel to Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr., Walter J. Kohler, Sr. Biogra ...

as special master to investigate the issue and interview the relevant parties. After completing his investigation, Judge Wingert reported that he believed the redistricting suit should be dismissed and found no evidence that the failure to redistrict would result in "discrimination". The court accepted his recommendation and dismissed the suit, though they did warn that the issue could be renewed if no redistricting plan was passed by August 1963. Following the ruling, Reynolds was elected Governor and resumed his push for a redistricting law. The Legislature passed a new map, but Reynolds rejected it as failing to provide equal representation for all Wisconsin voters. Finally, in July 1963, the Legislature attempted to circumvent Reynolds by passing their redistricting law as a joint resolution. Reynolds, in response, brought suit to the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

, which ruled in ''State ex rel. Reynolds v. Zimmerman''
22 Wis. 2d 544
that the Wisconsin Constitution did not permit the Legislature to bypass the Governor in redistricting. They further stated that if no redistricting law was passed by May 1, 1964, they would issue their own plan for the 1964 elections. A last-ditch effort was made by the Legislature, but their final attempt was again rejected by Governor Reynolds, who criticized the partisan bias of the map, calling it "a fraud upon the people". On May 14, 1964, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its plan in a filing in ''State ex rel. Reynolds v. Zimmerman''
23 Wis. 2d 606
. The new plan was embraced by Governor Reynolds, who called it, "the culmination of my four-year fight for equal voting rights for the people of the state of Wisconsin." This was the first time in United States history that a state court had stepped in to draw legislative districts. Subsequent to 1964, three of the next four redistricting cycles in Wisconsin would result in court-ordered plans.

Presidential surrogate candidacy

Reynolds opposed segregationist

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

in the 1964 Democratic presidential primaries who would otherwise have run unopposed, as President Lyndon B. Johnson refused to say he was in the race. Like the other "

favorite son Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term. * At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a ...

s" who ran in Johnson's place (such as

Matthew E. Welsh Matthew Empson Welsh (September 15, 1912 – May 28, 1995) was an American politician who was the 41st governor of Indiana and a member of the Democratic Party, serving from 1961 to 1965. His term as governor saw a major increase in statewide ...

and

Daniel Brewster Daniel Baugh Brewster Jr. (November 23, 1923 – August 19, 2007) was an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1963 until 1969. He was also a member of the Maryla ...

), he won his state's primaries. As is required, Wisconsin delegates to the

1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnes ...

voted for Reynolds on the first ballot, then voted for Johnson.

Federal judicial service

Reynolds was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 13, 1965, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin vacated by Judge

Kenneth Philip Grubb Kenneth Philip Grubb (September 14, 1895 – March 11, 1976) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Education and career Born in Mauston, Wisconsin, Grubb was a United Stat ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on October 21, 1965, and received his commission on October 21, 1965. He served as Chief Judge from 1971 to 1986. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on August 31, 1986. His service terminated on January 7, 2002, due to his death 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 ...

, Wisconsin.

Notable case

As a judge, Reynolds ordered the desegregation of Milwaukee's schools in 1976. That decision was appealed and appealed again to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in ''Brennan v. Armstrong'' (1977). The case was remanded to his court for reconsideration. Reynolds supervised the resulting five-year plan to integrate Milwaukee schools.

Personal life and family

Reynolds was the son of

, the 26th Attorney General of Wisconsin. His father was active in Wisconsin politics throughout his childhood as a member of Robert M. La Follette's

Progressive Republican The Republican Party in the United States includes several factions, or wings. During the 19th century, Republican factions included the Half-Breeds, who supported civil service reform; the Radical Republicans, who advocated the immediate and to ...

faction, and joined the Wisconsin Progressive Party after its split from the Republicans. His paternal grandfather was also active in politics and was elected to the

from Door County in 1906. John Reynolds Jr. married Patricia Ann Brody of

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, in 1947. They met at a Young Democrats meeting at the University of Wisconsin while they were both students there. Brody's father, Lawrence, was also involved in politics and had been

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

La Crosse County La Crosse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 120,784. Its county seat is La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area with ...

in the 1920s and 1930s. John and Patricia had three children together, Kate, Molly, and Jim, before her death in 1967. After Patricia's death, Reynolds married Jane Conway and had five more children.

Electoral history

U.S. House of Representatives (1950)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1950

Wisconsin Attorney General (1958, 1960)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 9, 1958 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1958 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1960

Wisconsin Governor (1962, 1964)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1962 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 8, 1964 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1964

References

External links

* * *
Gov. John W. Reynolds
at National Governors Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, John W. Jr. 1921 births 2002 deaths Candidates in the 1964 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians Wisconsin Attorneys General Democratic Party governors of Wisconsin Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army reservists