Philip F. Wenz (born April 13, 1873) was a

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. ...

and

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

who served three terms (1927–1932) as a

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

member of 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, ...

from the 7th

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 ...

district (7th ward of the City of Milwaukee).

Background

Wenz was born in Milwaukee on April 13, 1873. He received a

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 ...

education in the grade schools of Milwaukee and became an apprentice carpenter at the age of 16. Later he became a machinist, but preferred outdoor employment and again returned to carpentry. He sold

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

and

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

s for five years "but found this business to vary considerably in seasons" and returned to carpentry.

Political office

He was working as a carpenter when he was first elected to the Assembly in November 1926 (succeeding fellow Socialist nd machinist Alex C. Ruffing) receiving 1,509 votes to 1,087 for Republican Henry Blackburn. He was assigned to the standing committee on

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. He was re-elected in 1928, with 1801 votes to 815 for Ella Goess. In 1930 he was unopposed in the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, and was re-elected in the general election, with 1443 votes to 1103 for former Assemblyman

Charles Meising Charles Meising (April 9, 1876 – ?) was a salesman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who served one term as a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and conducted several less successful campaigns. Background Meising was born in Taylors ...

(a Republican), 314 for

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 ...

Fred Stich, and 34 for Jack Schwab. He retained his seat on the municipalities committee, but was additionally assigned to the Committee on

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

and Manufactures, and to the joint committee on University and Capitol Heating Plants.Kelly, Alice, ed. ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1931'' Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1931; pp. 189-91, 572, 577
/ref> He did not run for re-election in 1932, and was succeeded by fellow Socialist Arthur Koegel.

References

1873 births Year of death unknown American stockbrokers Insurance agents American carpenters Machinists Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-stub