Robert W. Wirch (born November 16, 1943) is an American politician serving as a 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 22nd district since 1997. He previously 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, e ...

from 1993 through 1997.

Early life and education

Wirch was born in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

and graduated from Bradford High School. He received a bachelor's degree from the

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 ...

in 1970 and served in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...

from 1965 to 1971.

Career

He served as a member of the Board of Supervisors for Kenosha County from 1986 to 1994.

Wisconsin legislature

In 1992, Wirch was elected to the

and was re-elected in 1994. In 1996, Wirch chose to run for Wisconsin Senate in the seat vacated by retiring senator Joseph F. Andrea. Wirch was elected to the Senate in 1996 and has been reelected six times, including his 2004 victory over future White House Chief of Staff

Reince Priebus Reinhold Richard Priebus ( ; born March 18, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician who served as White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump from January 20, 2017, until July 31, 2017. He also served as the chairman of the Republ ...

, and his 2011 victory against a recall attempt. He served as the Democratic Minority Caucus Chairperson from 2003 to 2005.

2011 Wisconsin protests

On February 20, 2011, it was reported that Wirch, along with 13 other Democratic Wisconsin State Senators, had left the state, allegedly to deny the State Senate a

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to '' Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

on Governor Scott Walker's Budget Repair legislation. The Budget Repair bill later passed.

2011 recall attempt

On February 24, 2011, ''Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch'' officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board as a result of the

2011 Wisconsin protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

. 13,537 valid signatures of electors residing within the 22nd District had to be collected by April 25, 2011 to generate a recall election. On April 21, Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch filed 18,300 signatures with Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board. On August 16, 2011, Wirch won 57% of the vote in a recall election, defeating Republican Jonathan Steitz.

Personal life

Wirch resides in

Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin Pleasant Prairie is a village in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Kenosha County along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan, Pleasant Prairie was home to 21,250 people at the 2020 census. The village is positioned directly south o ...

. Mary, his wife of 47 years, died on February 23, 2020 from complications related to gall bladder cancer. They have a son, David, and a daughter, Julia.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1992-1994)

Wisconsin Senate (1996-2016)

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References

External links

Senator Robert Wirch
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 Republ ...

Bob Wirch for State Senate
official campaign site
Wisconsin Historical Society-Robert W. Wirch
*
Campaign 2008
campaign contributions at ''Wisconsin Democracy Campaign''
22nd Senate District, Senator Wirch
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 Wis ...

(2005–2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wirch, Robert W. 1943 births Living people County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Politicians from Kenosha, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Parkside alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin Mary D. Bradford High School alumni