Julius Peter Heil (July 24, 1876November 30, 1949) was an

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politician and the 30th

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 ...

from 1939 to 1943.

Early life

Heil, a Jewish immigrant to the United States, was born in Düssmund an der Mosel,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. As a child, he lived with his family on a farm in

New Berlin, Wisconsin New Berlin () is a city located along the Milwaukee /Waukesha County Border in the U.S. State of Wisconsin. The population was 40,451 at the 2020 census, making it the third-largest community in Waukesha County after the cities of Waukesha and ...

, and attended school until he was twelve.

Career

Heil became qualified as an expert welder and traveled extensively in South America, installing welded steel track for streetcars. In 1901, he founded the Heil Company 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 ...

, which fabricated steel tank cars. In 1933, he was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to head the state advisory board for the National Recovery Administration. Winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1938, Heil went on to defeat his Progressive opponent-incumbent Philip F. La Follette. As governor, he created the Department of Motor Vehicles out of five existing agencies and consolidated welfare and institutional programs under a single Department of Public Welfare. A controversial innovation was his creation of a Division of Departmental Research, designed to achieve greater efficiency in state administration. The United States entered World War II during Heil's second term, and a State Guard was created to replace the National Guard, which had been called to active duty. Often known as "Julius the Just," as governor, the ''

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'' reported that Heil was known for clowning and silly antics. He was re-elected in 1940, but lost to Progressive Orland Steen Loomis in 1942, according to the ''New York Times'', because of his unpopular labor record. After losing a third term as governor, Heil became president and later chairman of the board of the Heil Company. He toured the country to promote

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 ...

's dairy products.

Death

Heil died of heart failure in Milwaukee on November 30, 1949, (age 73 years, 129 days). He is

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at Wisconsin Memorial Park, Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Family life

Son of Frank and Barbara Heil, he married Elizabeth Conrad on June 4, 1900, and they had one son, Joseph F. Heil.

Election results

*1940 Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary results: Julius Heil, 223,819; James K. Robinson 106,570 *1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial results: Julius Heil (R) defeated F.E. McGovern (D) and Orland S. Loomis *1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial results: Orland Loomis (Progressive) (R) defeated Julius Heil (R) and Dr. W. C. Sullivan

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heil, Julius 1876 births 1949 deaths Businesspeople from Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee Republican Party governors of Wisconsin Jewish American people in Wisconsin politics Jewish American state governors of the United States 19th-century German Jews German emigrants to the United States Burials in Wisconsin People from New Berlin, Wisconsin