William J. Duffy (October 29, 1916February 25, 2013) was 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 ...

lawyer, politician, and judge. He retired in 1992 after 24 years as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Brown County. Earlier in his career, he represented Brown County in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a

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 ...

Biography

Born in North Branch, Minnesota, Duffy grew up in Hollandtown, Wisconsin, and graduated from Kaukauna High School. He graduated from

St. Norbert College St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the co ...

and received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1941. Later that year, he joined the United States Army Air Forces for service in World War II. He served throughout the war in the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, rising to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. After the war, he practiced law in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

, in a partnership with attorney Jerry Clifford. In 1948 he defeated incumbent Republican Assemblyman Harvey Larsen to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 1949-1950 session. Larsen came back and defeated Duffy in 1950, ending his brief career in the Assembly. Duffy returned to his legal practice. In 1967, the Wisconsin Legislature created a third branch in the 14th judicial circuit. Duffy ran unopposed in the special election for the new circuit court judgeship, and would remain on the circuit court in Brown County for the next 24 years, earning re-election in 1974, 1980, and 1986. In 1982, he was selected as Chief Judge for the 8th Judicial Administrative District by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He served the maximum 3 two-year terms as Chief Judge. Judge Duffy retired from the court in 1992, but continued to work as a reserve judge and remained an active member of the community in the city of Green Bay. He served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay from 1970 to 1975, teaching labor law, he was the first president of the Green Bay Voluntary Commission on Human Rights, and was a member of the Governor's Commission on Human Rights.

Personal life and family

In May 1950, Duffy married Elizabeth Boyden. Judge Duffy died on February 25, 2013, in

, at age 96. His wife preceded him in death. They were survived by five children and ten grandchildren.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1948, 1950)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1948 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1950

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1968, 1974, 1980, 1986)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 2, 1968

References

, - , - , - 1916 births 2013 deaths People from North Branch, Minnesota Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin St. Norbert College alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni United States Army Air Forces officers Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state court judges People from Holland, Brown County, Wisconsin 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Wisconsin Military personnel from Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub