Orland Steen "Spike" Loomis (November 2, 1893 – December 7, 1942) was an American lawyer. He was elected to be the 31st

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 ...

in 1942, but died before taking office. He previously served as the 28th Attorney General of Wisconsin. He was a member of the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics. History The Party was the brainchild of Philip La Follette and Robert M. La Follette, Jr., the sons of the famous Wisco ...

Biography

Orland Loomis was born in

Mauston, Wisconsin Mauston is a city in and the county seat of Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,347 as of the 2020 census. It is approximately 70 miles northwest from the state capital, Madison. History Mauston was founded by Milton ...

. He received his law degree 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 1917. He was stationed in France 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 ...

,togetherweserved.com – 1LT Orland Steen Loomis
Retrieved August 6, 2013 after which he returned to Mauston to practice law, serving as the city attorney from 1922 to 1931. He 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 1928 and 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 ...

in 1930. From 1935 to 1937 Loomis was director of the

Rural Electrification Administration The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...

in Wisconsin. He was then elected

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

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 ...

, serving from 1937 to 1939. After narrowly losing the 1940 election for

as a Progressive, Loomis ran again in 1942, defeating the incumbent Governor

Julius Heil Julius Peter Heil (July 24, 1876November 30, 1949) was an American politician and the 30th Governor of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1943. Early life Heil, a Jewish immigrant to the United States, was born in Düssmund an der Mosel, Germany. As a chi ...

. He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office, and the Republican

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Walter Samuel Goodland Walter Samuel Goodland (December 22, 1862March 12, 1947) was an American lawyer and politician and the 31st Governor of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Republican Party and attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Biography Goodla ...

served all of Loomis's term as

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

.Orland S. Loomis, WHi-2771
Wisconsinhistory.org (December 7, 1942). Retrieved on 2016-01-22. Orland Steen Loomis was buried in Mauston. Loomis Road (

WIS 36 State Trunk Highway 36 (often called Highway 36, STH-36 or WIS 36) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in a diagonal southwest–northeast direction across southeastern Wisconsin from Springfield which is north of Lake ...

) in

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

is named after him. Loomis married Florence Marie Ely on June 22, 1918. They had three children. In 1943, 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 ...

SS ''Orland Loomis'' was named after him.

References

External links

Orland S. Loomis, Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin State Historical Society
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Orland Steen 1893 births 1942 deaths 20th-century American politicians Burials in Wisconsin Elected officials who died without taking their seats Republican Party governors of Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Military personnel from Wisconsin People from Mauston, Wisconsin Progressive Party (1924) state governors of the United States United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War I University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin Attorneys General Wisconsin Progressives (1924) Republican Party Wisconsin state senators