Otto A. Kehrein (October 22, 1873 – October 14, 1948) was an American

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

from Milwaukee who served two terms (1929–1932) as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 9th district of

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 ...

(9th and 10th

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of the City of Milwaukee), and also served on the Milwaukee County

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

Background

He was born in the Town of Jackson in Washington County in 1873, grew up on a farm and was educated in the

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s of that area and at

West Bend High School The West Bend School District (officially West Bend Joint School District #1) is a school district in Wisconsin serving the city of West Bend, the villages of Jackson and Newburg, and parts of the towns of Polk, Trenton, Barton, West Bend, ...

. Upon leaving school, he moved to Milwaukee, where he learned

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...

and practiced that profession, later going into the teamster, trucking and garage business.

Public office

He had never held public office until his successful 1928 bid for the Assembly, succeeding fellow Socialist

Julius Kiesner Julius Kiesner was an American tire vulcanizer from Milwaukee who served five terms (1919–1928) as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing Milwaukee's 9th Assembly district (the 9th and 10th wards). He was born in Chi ...

. (He does not appear to have been related to

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 ...

Jacob Kehrein, who had once represented the same district for one term from 1903–04.) Kehrein was elected to the Milwaukee County Board in the spring of 1932, serving in both capacities until his Assembly term expired in January 1933. He was succeeded by Democrat George Weissleder, who had served in the Wisconsin State Senate 20 years before. He was noted for composing his own verses and occasionally singing in the Assembly. In 1935 Kehrein testified before the Assembly in support of a bill to ban

dance marathon Dance marathons (or marathon dances) are events in which people dance or walk to music for an extended period of time. They started as dance contests in the 1920s and developed into entertainment events during the Great Depression in the 1930s. ...

s. In 1940 he ran as a Republican for the 2nd Milwaukee County Assembly district held by

Andrew Biemiller Andrew John Biemiller (July 23, 1906 – April 3, 1982) was an American politician and labor union officer. Background Biemiller was born July 23, 1906, in Sandusky, Ohio, and was educated in the public schools there. He got a B. A. degree ...

(himself a former Socialist, but by the with the

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

). Republican 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 ...

quipped at a Republican convention that Kehrein was "a good singer, and he used to be a good Socialist." He lost by a considerable margin. He ran again in 1942 for the same seat, but was defeated in the 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 * ...

.Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. ''The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1944'' Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1944; p. 516
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kehrein, Otto 1873 births 1948 deaths American carpenters Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee People from Jackson, Washington County, Wisconsin Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin