Marvin J. Roshell (October 27, 1932 – March 9, 2022) was an American electrician, small business owner, and Democratic politician. He served 14 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the 23rd Senate district in western Wisconsin.

Early life and career

Roshell was born on October 27, 1932, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He graduated from Cadott High School in

Cadott, Wisconsin Cadott is a village in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,437 at the 2010 census. History In the late 1700s or early 1800s Jean Baptiste Cadotte, son of French Canadian fur trader Michel Cadotte of the Madeline ...

, and enlisted in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

at age 18. He served from 1950 to 1954, including duties in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and afterwards attended Coyne Electrical College. He worked as an electrician and contractor at Roshell Electric, which was owned by his father and uncle. In 1968, he and his brother, Eugene, along with their cousins Bill and John Roshell, bought the business from their fathers.

Political career

In 1969, Roshell was elected along with Carmen Muenich in the election for the Lafayette town board. Roshell was elected to the Senate in 1978. Later, he served as Majority Caucus Secretary and Majority Caucus Chairperson. Previously, he had been a member of the Lafayette Board of Supervisors from 1969 to 1979, serving as Chairperson from 1975 to 1979. He was 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 ...

. In December 1992, Roshell announced he would resign from the Senate to accept an appointment in the administration of Governor Tommy Thompson. He was appointed administrator of the Safety and Buildings Division within the Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor & Human Relations. Roshell was considered a conservative Democrat while serving in the Senate, and his appointment to a state job in a Republican administration was considered a political ploy to flip the closely divided State Senate from Democratic to Republican control. Roshell retired three years later. At the time of his retirement, there was a small scandal around the size of the retirement benefits paid to former legislators who had also worked as state employees.

Personal life

While they were both serving in the U.S. Air Force, Roshell met Barbara "Bobbie" Tompkins, of Morrison, Colorado. They married at Cadott, Wisconsin, on July 24, 1954, and now have three adult children. A few years after his retirement, Marvin and Barbara moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Roshell Electric Inc. remains a family-owned business, now run by Roshell's sons and nephews. He was a member 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 ...

, the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

, and the AFL-CIO. He died in Chippewa Falls on March 9, 2022, at the age of 89.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard

Roshell Electric Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roshell, Marvin 1932 births 2022 deaths Wisconsin city council members County supervisors in Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Politicians from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War People from Chippewa County, Wisconsin Politicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas