Kenneth L. Greenquist (April 3, 1910 – April 5, 1968) was a machinist, lawyer, and politician. He represented

Racine County Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a par ...

in the

Wisconsin State 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 ...

for four years as a Wisconsin Progressive, and was President of 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 ...

Board of Regents.

Early life and education

Greenquist was born on April 3, 1910, in Florence, Wisconsin. He graduated from

Racine High School Washington Park High School (also known as Park or Racine Park High School) is a public, four-year high school in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, with an enrollment of over 2,400 students. Its school colors are blue and orange. The school's mascot, the pan ...

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

, before attending the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

in 1936.

Career

Greenquist worked as a spot welder assistant with the J. I. Case Company, the Massey-Harris Company, and

Modine Manufacturing Modine Manufacturing is a thermal management company established in 1916 in the United States. The company started as Modine Manufacturing Company by Arthur B Modine who patented the Spirex radiator for tractors. The Modine company manufactured th ...

. After graduating from law school, Greenquist entered a law partnership with Francis Wendt, who would later become Chairman of the Racine City Council. In 1938, Wendt and Greenquist entered Progressive politics, managing the campaign of city council candidate Casimir Zielkowski. Zielkowski won his election, and, that fall, Greenquist ran for the Wisconsin Senate in the 21st district. Greenquist won the Progressive Party's nomination in the September primary election, and faced incumbent Democrat Joseph Clancy and Republican challenger Fred Ahlgrimm in the general election. Greenquist won the election and represented Racine County in the Wisconsin Senate for the next four years. As a senator, Greenquist served on the Committee for State and Local Government. In 1941, after the death of Congressman

Stephen Bolles Stephen Bolles (June 25, 1866July 8, 1941) was an American politician, a newspaper editor, and a congressman from Wisconsin. Early life Born in Springboro, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Bolles attended the public schools; was graduated from th ...

, Greenquist ran in the special election to replace him in the 1st Congressional District, but was not successful. He did not seek re-election in 1942 and instead entered the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

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 attended officer training in Gulfport, Mississippi, and was then assigned to the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

''Ralph A. Cram'', journeying from Brooklyn to Europe, then to the South Pacific. After the war, Greenquist was appointed City Attorney of Racine and remained in that role until 1949. He remained active as an attorney and activist. In 1957, he successfully argued the case o
''Maier v. Racine County''
before 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 found that the county government did not have the authority to set a

legal drinking age The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between ...

. The case became a frequently-cited precedent which limited the powers of county boards. In 1962, Governor John W. Reynolds appointed Greenquist to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. He was elected President of the Board of Regents in June 1967. He died in April 1968, two days after his 58th birthday.''The Wisconsin Blue Book 1940,'' Biographical Sketch of Kenneth L. Greenquist, p. 40

Family life and legacy

Greenquist married Hilda Winger in 1940. They had two daughters together. He died on April 5, 1968, at the

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics UW Health University Hospital (UW Health, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics or UWHC) is a 515-bed academic regional referral center with 127 outpatient clinics, located on the western edge of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's camp ...

in Madison. He served as Commander of the Wisconsin Department of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

in 1952. Greenquist Hall on the

University of Wisconsin–Parkside The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university of ...

campus in

Kenosha County, Wisconsin Kenosha County is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 169,151 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the eighth most populous county in Wisconsin. The county shares the same ...

, was named for him.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenquist, Kenneth People from Florence, Wisconsin Politicians from Racine, Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin Progressives (1924) University of Kentucky alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers 1910 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators