Thomas Patrick Corbett (September 15, 1914May 10, 1995) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was a for ten years in

Racine County Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a par ...

. He also served one term 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, ...

Biography

Born in

Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephenson Island, part of the ...

, Corbett and his family moved to

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

, in 1918. Corbett graduated from St. Catherine's High School and then received his bachelor's degree from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

and his law degree from Marquette University Law School. He briefly practiced law, but was elected to the

in his first year out of law school, representing the city of

, as a Republican. He served in the legislature for two years, then, in 1943, enlisted with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Transcript of Memorial Service, Racine County, Wisconsin Circuit Court, March 22, 1996
He returned from the war in 1945 and resumed his law practice. In 1949, the Racine city council appointed him City Attorney, where he remained for the next thirteen years. In 1961, he was elected to one of the newly created branches of the Racine County court and was instrumental in establishing the court in Burlington, Wisconsin, in the far western part of the county. He served there until his election as a judge of the Racine-based 21st circuit in 1969. His service bridged the 1978 reorganization of Wisconsin trial courts, which saw the circuit and county courts merged, and finished his judicial service in 1979 as a judge of the Racine circuit. After his retirement, Corbett served as a reserve judge in Racine and Waushara counties. Corbett died at the Veteran's Home in King, Wisconsin.

Family

Corbett married Lucille K. "Terry" Tarro in 1942. They had two children.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 1940 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 1940

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Thomas P. 1914 births 1995 deaths People from Marinette, Wisconsin People from Racine, Wisconsin Marquette University alumni Marquette University Law School alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin Wisconsin circuit court judges Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century American judges 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Wisconsin politicians