Leland S. McParland (December 18, 1896 – December 10, 1989) was a

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 ...

Democratic attorney and politician. He served in the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republica ...

from 1941 to 1970. Born in

Thorp, Wisconsin Thorp is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,621 at the 2010 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Thorp and partially within the Town of Withee. Geography Thorp is located at (44.959 ...

on December 18, 1896, he attended Thorp public schools, then studied at the then- Oshkosh State College for two years. After service in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War I 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 ...

, he worked as a teacher in

South Milwaukee South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census. History South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose o ...

from 1920 to 1927 while he studied law at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

, becoming a practicing lawyer in 1927.

Legislature

He was first 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, ...

in 1940 as a Democrat, representing Milwaukee County's southern suburbs. He served as the floor leader for the Democrats in the 1945-1950 sessions. He was first elected to the Senate in 1954, and was reelected in 1958, 1962, and 1966. In 1970 he was unseated in the Democratic primary by Kurt Frank in a four-way race which included

John Plewa John R. Plewa (September 22, 1945September 13, 1995) was an American educator and Democratic politician from Wisconsin. He served 10 years in the Wisconsin State Senate and 12 years in the State Assembly, representing Milwaukee. Plewa is most ...

, himself later to succeed Frank as senator from this district.

Oak Creek Law

It was in part due to McParlan's strategic place in the Senate that the "Oak Creek Law" was passed in 1955, enabling semi-rural Oak Creek, part of his district, to incorporate as a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, thus frustrating annexation by the City of Milwaukee.

Student demonstrations in Madison

When student demonstrators at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison 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, th ...

took over campus in 1967 in protest over the presence of Dow Chemical, manufacturers of

napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated alu ...

, McParland pronounced, "We should shoot them if necessary. I would, I would, because it's insurrection." Maraniss, David. '' They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004; p. 396

References

1896 births 1989 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I People from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 20th-century American politicians People from Thorp, Wisconsin 20th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub