William D. "Bill" Lorge (born August 31, 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 ...
real estate broker, farmer, 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 ten 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, ...
, and was an unsuccessful candidate for
Governor of Wisconsin
The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...
in 2002.
Early life
Born in
Bear Creek, Wisconsin, Lorge graduated from
Clintonville High School and then 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 ...
from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...
. He also attended the Austro-American College in
Vienna, Austria
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Career
Lorge has been a real estate broker and a farmer.
[Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. ]
State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book
'. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Administration, 1997, p. 49. He served as a Congressional aide and a Wisconsin state senate legislative assistant for his father. In 1984 he ran for the
14th District State Senate seat vacated by his father, losing in the primary to
Joseph Leean. 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, ...
as a
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 ...
from 1989 until 1999. A 1996 survey of legislators conducted by Madison Magazine rated Lorge poorly in several categories. In 1998 Lorge lost to
Jean Hundertmark in the primary. That same year, Lorge submitted the highest expense report of any member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
In 2002, Lorge entered the
Republican gubernatorial primary, challenging incumbent Republican Governor
Scott McCallum
James Scott McCallum (born May 2, 1950) is an American businessman and former politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 43rd governor of Wisconsin, ascending from the Lieutenant Governorship when Tommy Thompson resigned in 2001 ...
.
He garnered only 8 percent of the vote, as McCallum was renominated.
Personal life
His father,
Gerald Lorge, served 30 years 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 ...
. Lorge married Molly McGinty on April 11, 1996, in Bear Creek. They had four children together before divorcing in 2014.
Lorge has worked as an
Elvis Presley impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as ent ...
.
[Elvis impersonator running for GOP nomination for governor]
, ''The Journal Times'', Racine, Wisconsin, June 2, 2002. Retrieved July 19, 2015. He owns Badgerland MLS, a real estate company.
"Meet the Broker"
BadgerlandMLS.com
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorge, William
1960 births
Living people
People from Outagamie County, Wisconsin
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Farmers from Wisconsin
Elvis impersonators
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly