Timothy W. Carpenter (born February 24, 1960) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
politician and
Democratic member of 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 ...
, representing the
3rd Senate district since 2003. He previously served 18 years 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, ...
(1985–2003).
Early life and education
Carpenter was born on February 24, 1960, at
St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee.
He graduated from Milwaukee's
Casimir Pulaski High School
Casimir Pulaski High School is a public high school located on 2500 W Oklahoma Ave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Casimir Pulaski is part of the Milwaukee Public School system. The school had 1600 students during the 2004–2005 school year.
Pulaski i ...
and attended
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 ...
in 1978, before transferring to
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...
, where he received his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
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 ...
and
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
in 1982.
He continued graduate work at Milwaukee, but was interrupted when he was elected to the Legislature in 1984. He later resumed his education at the
La Follette School of Public Affairs at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
, where he earned his
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in 1995.
Political career
After graduating from college, Carpenter worked briefly at a number of jobs, at Rustlers Steak House and as a courier for
Federal Express
FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
.
He had become involved with the
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.
Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...
at an early age and became a member of the state party's administrative committee. In 1984, at age 24, while still a student at the La Follette School, he jumped into the race for
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 the open
20th Assembly district seat. The 20th Assembly district was heavily Democratic, based in southern
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 ...
—Carpenter faced five opponents in the
Democratic 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
* ...
. He prevailed in the six-way race with just 27% of the vote, and faced no opponent in the 1984 general election.
Carpenter 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 1984 and served nine terms representing the 9th Assembly District until 2002, holding the post of Speaker ''Pro Tempore'' in 1993. He was first elected to represent Wisconsin's 3rd Senate District in 2002. During the 2007–08 biennium, he served as
President ''Pro Tempore'' of the Wisconsin State Senate.
During the 2007-08 biennium, he was the chair of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Senior Issues, Long Term Care, and Job Creation
Carpenter is currently a member of the Senate Committee on Health; the Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government; the Senate Committee on Labor, Regulatory Reform, Veterans and Military Affairs; the Senate Committee on Licensing, Constitution and Federalism; and the Joint Legislative Audit Committe
He was also previously the Chair of the Legislative Council Study Committee on addressing recidivism in High-Risk Juvenile Offenders
2008 Interim Study Committees
2011 Wisconsin protests
During the protests in Wisconsin, Carpenter, along with the 13 other Democratic State Senators, left the state to deny the State Senate a quorum on
Scott Walker (politician), Governor Scott Walker's controversial "Budget Repair" legislation. Based on the revelations from a prank phone call on Gov. Walker, detailing plans to pass his bill, Carpenter called upon Gov. Walker to resign.
2020 protests
On June 23, 2020, Carpenter was recording a protest near the Wisconsin state capitol when he was assaulted by BLM (Black Lives Matter) protesters. A short time later he collapsed and was taken to the hospital for a suspected concussion.
Running for other offices
2004 U.S. House campaign
In 2004, Carpenter unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
in the
4th congressional district, losing 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 ...
to fellow state senator
Gwen Moore
Gwendolynne Sophia Moore (born April 18, 1951) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. In 2016, Moore was elected to serve as caucus whip of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 115th United States Congres ...
.
Milwaukee City Treasurer
In February 2012, Carpenter was one of two State Senators (the other being fellow Democrat
Spencer Coggs
G. Spencer Coggs (born August 6, 1949) is an American public administrator and Democratic politician. He is the current Milwaukee City Treasurer, since April 2012. He previously served 10 years in the Wisconsin State Senate and 20 years in the ...
) to win a place on the ballot for Milwaukee City
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
in the Spring 2012 election, defeating former State Treasurer
Dawn Marie Sass
Dawn Marie Sass (born September 18, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 33rd State Treasurer of Wisconsin from 2007 to 2011. She was the third female Treasurer in Wisconsin's history.
Early life and education
Born in Milwaukee, W ...
and
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 ...
Rick Kissell in the
non-partisan primary
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 c ...
. Coggs polled 13,559 votes; Carpenter 12,880; Sass 5,089 and Kissell 2,241. In the general election, Coggs won 35,096 votes to Carpenter's 34,293.
Milwaukee Common Council
In 2015, Carpenter ran in a special election for the Milwaukee Common Council on August 18, 2015. A primary took place on July 21, 2015. Carpenter advanced in the primary along with Mark Borkowski, who ended up winning with 50.7% of the vote.
Personal life
Carpenter is gay, and is one of three openly
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
members of 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 ...
. He is a member of the Sierra Club; Jackson Park Neighborhood Association; Story Hill Neighborhood Association; and the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home Advisory Council.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly, 20th district (1984–1990)
Wisconsin Assembly, 9th district (1992–2000)
Wisconsin Senate (2002–2018)
References
External links
Profileat the
Wisconsin 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 ...
Senator Tim Carpenter(archive) at the
Wisconsin State 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 ...
constituency site(archive)
Tim Carpenter official campaign site
*
3rd Senate District, Senator Carpenter in the
Wisconsin Blue Book
The ''Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a biennial publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The ''Blue Book'' is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisc ...
(2005–2006)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Tim
1960 births
City and town treasurers in the United States
Gay politicians
LGBT state legislators in Wisconsin
LGBT people from Wisconsin
Living people
Politicians from Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni
Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators
21st-century American politicians
Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs alumni
Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly