Tom Weatherston (born February 15, 1950) is an American industrial engineer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He served 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, ...

from 2013 through 2019, representing the northern half of

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 ...

Early life

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, Weatherston served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

as a civil engineer and was stationed in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He went to

Erie Community College SUNY Erie is a public community college with three campuses in western New York that serve residents in and near Erie County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and has locations in Williamsville (North Campus), Bu ...

, where he received an associate degree. He then graduated from

Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of Ne ...

, where he received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. In 1977, Weatherston was hired by the Modine Manufacturing Company and 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 ...

Political career

In 2010, Weatherston was elected to the

Caledonia, Wisconsin Caledonia is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,361 at the 2020 census. The residential community of Franksville is located within the village. Franksville is a former census-designated place. The resi ...

, Village Board of Trustees and served until 2013. In November 2012, Weatherston was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in the newly redrawn 62nd Assembly District. He won re-election in 2014 and 2016 without opposition. In 2017, Weatherston spearheaded the law proposal American Laws for American Courts banning

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It was criticised by the president of

NAML National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML) is an organization of muslim lawyers founded in 1996 as 'Muslim JD'. In 2000, it was renamed to its current name. NAML conducts an annual conference with over hundred legal professionals participatin ...

, Asifa Quraishi-Landes, through statement ''"They see any acknowledgment of Sharia in American Muslim life as a first step to the Trojan Horse."'' In April 2018, Weatherston announced that he would not seek re-election to a 4th term. He instead ran to rejoin the Caledonia Village Board of Trustees in 2019. He defeated incumbent trustee Jay Benkowski in the April 2, 2019, spring general election. Weatherston is a member of

Vietnam Veterans of America Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (VVA) is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government. VVA is th ...

Chapter 767 and

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

Post 10301.

Electoral history

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weatherston, Tom Living people Politicians from Buffalo, New York Politicians from Racine, Wisconsin University at Buffalo alumni Military personnel from Buffalo, New York Wisconsin city council members Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1950 births 21st-century American politicians People from Caledonia, Wisconsin