Richard Grobschmidt (May 3, 1948July 23, 2016) was an American educator and former Democratic politician from

South Milwaukee South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census. History South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose o ...

, Wisconsin. He served five terms in 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, ...

(1985–1995) and parts of three terms in 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 ...

(1995–2003), before resigning to take a position with the

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, headquartered in Madison, is the state education and public library management agency in the state of Wisconsin.

Background

Grobschmidt was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

on May 3, 1948, to Chester W. Grobschmidt and Leone Grobschmidt. His father was mayor of

from 1966 to 1994. Grobschmidt graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1966; earned a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

from

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UW Osh) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to nearly 14,000 students e ...

in 1972, and a

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a ...

in 1979. He taught

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at South Milwaukee High before being elected to 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 ...

Legislative service

Grobschmidt was elected to the state Assembly in 1984, and re-elected for the next five terms for the 21st district, representing South Milwaukee and portions of Oak Creek. He was elected for the 7th district State Senate seat (representing several southeastern

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 ...

suburbs, plus a fraction of eastern Milwaukee) in a November 1995 special election; and reelected in 1998 and 2002.

Department of Public Instruction

In December 2002, he announced that he would resign his seat in January 2003 to take a position as Assistant

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

under State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. He retired from that position on September 10, 2010.

Death and legacy

Grobschmidt died on July 23, 2016, in

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Wauwatosa (; known informally as Tosa; originally Wau-wau-too-sa or Hart's Mill) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Wauwatos ...

. A bridge on the

Hank Aaron State Trail The Hank Aaron State Trail is a rail trail in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The trail is named after former Milwaukee Braves and Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Hank Aaron and is built on a former roadbed of the Milwaukee Road. , according to ...

in Lakeshore State Park was named after Grobschmidt in 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grobschmidt, Richard 1948 births 2016 deaths Schoolteachers from Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee Educators from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators People from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin