Jim Ott (born June 5, 1947) 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 former television

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

. 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 ...

, he was a seven term member of 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, ...

representing assembly district 23, serving from 2007 to 2021. Before being elected to the Assembly, he was a broadcast meteorologist in

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 ...

for

Journal Communications Journal Media Group (formerly Journal Communications) was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based newspaper publishing company. The company's roots were first established in 1882 as the owner of its namesake, the ''Milwaukee Journal'', and expanded into br ...

's ''

WTMJ-TV WTMJ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Kenosha-licensed Ion Television station WPXE-TV (channel 55). WTMJ-TV's studios are ...

'' and '' WTMJ-AM'' radio.

Early life and career

Jim Ott was born in

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 ...

, and graduated from Milwaukee's Washington High School in 1965. He earned 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–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 Wiscon ...

in 1970, and then joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He served three years in the Army with the

U.S. Army Security Agency The United States Army Security Agency (ASA) was the United States Army, United States Army's signals intelligence branch from 1945 to 1976. The Latin motto of the Army Security Agency was ''Semper Vigiles'' (Vigilant Always), which echoes the ...

, including a tour 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 ...

in 1971–72. Following his Army service, he returned to school at UW–Milwaukee and obtained 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 1975. After earning his master's degree, in 1976 he went to work as an on-air meteorologist for

on their ''

'' television and '' WTMJ-AM'' radio stations. He worked there for 30 years, leaving only when he was elected to the

in 2006. During his time at Journal Communications, he became a member of the unit holders' council, chairperson of stock and information committee, and employee representative on the board of directors. He returned to school and obtained his J.D. from

Marquette University Law School Marquette University Law School is the professional graduate law school of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is one of two law schools in Wisconsin and the only private law school in the state. Founded in 1892 as the Milwaukee Law ...

in 2000. While working as a meteorologist, he also served as

adjunct faculty An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

University of Wisconsin–Parkside The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university o ...

, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,

Cardinal Stritch University , mottoeng = To value the better things , established = 1937 ( years ago) , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi (Roman Catholic) , endowment ...

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Established in 1846, Carroll was Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. History Prior to its estab ...

, and

Political career

Following the April 2006 announcement that incumbent state representative

Curt Gielow Curt Gielow (born. March 18, 1945) is an American Republican politician from Wisconsin. Born in Evansville, Indiana, Gielow received his degree in pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy and his masters from Washington University in St. Lou ...

would not seek re-election in 2006, Ott declared his candidacy for office. In the Republican primary, Ott defeated John Wirth and went on to win the general election with 56% of the vote over Democrat Stanley F. Teplin. He went on to win re-election six times. He was defeated for reelection by Democrat

Deb Andraca Deborah Andraca (' Anderson; born April 10, 1970) is an Americans, American politician, public relations specialist, and educator. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she represents the 23rd district of the Wisconsin State Assembly. ...

on November 3, 2020.

Personal life and family

Jim Ott is married with two adult sons, he and his wife reside in

Mequon, Wisconsin Mequon () is the largest city in Ozaukee County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and the third-largest city in Wisconsin by land area. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Interstate 43, the com ...

. He has been a member of the Lumen Christi Catholic Parish in Mequon since 1986. He is a member of the American Legion and the

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance th ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2006, 2008)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, September 12, 2006 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 2006

Wisconsin Assembly (2018, 2020)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2018 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 2020

References

External links

* *
Representative Jim Ott
at

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 Republica ...

Official websiteCampaign websiteLumen Christi Parish
Living people American television meteorologists Journalists from Wisconsin 1947 births Politicians from Milwaukee Marquette University alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Mequon, Wisconsin Catholics from Wisconsin United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{climate-bio-stub