Mary E. Panzer (September 19, 1951) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

banker and politician. A Republican, she served 25 years 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 Republican ...

, including 11 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1993–2005) and 14 years in the

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(1980–1993). Her father,

Frank E. Panzer Frank Edward Panzer (September 1, 1890August 26, 1969) was an American farmer, teacher, and Progressive Republican politician. He served 30 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Dodge County, and was president ''pro tempore'' from 19 ...

, was also a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.

Biography

Born in

Waupun, Wisconsin Waupun is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge and Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 11,344 at the 2020 census. Of this, 7,795 were in Dodge County, and 3,549 were in Fond du ...

, Panzer was educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, after which she was a banker and worked in the

Wisconsin State 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 Republican ...

. In 1980, Panzer was 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 a special election to replace fellow Republican James R. Lewis (who had been convicted of perjury). (She had almost defeated then-incumbent Lewis in the 1974 Republican

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 * ...

.) She served until 1993, when she was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in another special election. Panzer eventually rose to be the majority leader of the senate. In the Republican primary election in September 2004, Panzer was herself defeated for renomination by her successor in the state assembly,

Glenn Grothman Glenn S. Grothman (; born July 3, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to his seat in 2014. Grothman r ...

, who alleged that she was not sufficiently conservative for the modern-day Republican Party. Grothman won with a vote of 79% to 21% for Panzer.Wisconsin State Elections Board, Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/14/2004
p. 17.

References

External links

*
20th Senate District, Senator Panzer
in the

Wisconsin Blue Book The ''Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a biennial publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The ''Blue Book'' is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisc ...

(2003–2004) , - , - , - , - 1951 births American bankers Living people Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Waupun, Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators Women state legislators in Wisconsin American women bankers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub