Barbara Lawton (born July 5, 1951) is an American businesswoman and politician from

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 ...

who is the President and CEO of Americans for Campaign Reform. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Lawton was the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. She became the first woman elected to the position in 2002, as the running mate of former Democratic

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jim Doyle James Edward Doyle, Jr., (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. In his first election to the governorship, he defeated incu ...

. Lawton was re-elected on November 7, 2006. She was co-founder and Director of External Affairs for

Issue One Issue One is an American nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the role of money in politics. It aims to increase public awareness of what it views as problems within the present campaign finance system, and to reduce the influ ...

, a nonprofit whose goal is to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Personal background

Barbara Smith grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, first in

Hales Corners Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,692 at the 2010 census. History The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and even ...

and then on a farm near

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. She worked her way through college, ultimately earning a degree in Spanish from

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

in Appleton and a master's degree in Spanish from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. Lawton has an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Lawrence University and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the

Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private art school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1974, it offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. MIAD is considered the successor to the Layton School of Art, and was formerly known as ...

. She met and married Charles "Cal" Lawton in 1973 when she was a student at the

University of Wisconsin–Green Bay The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW-Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with regional campuses in Marinette, Wisconsin, Marinette, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Shebo ...

. During thirty-five years living in the Green Bay area, Barbara Lawton was active in the community, helping to co-found the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and was a leader in the Educational Resource Foundation. She was also a founding member of the Latinos Unidos and the Green Bay Area Multicultural Center. She served on the Entrepreneurs of Color Advisory Board, winning their first Founders' Award. She also served on the

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) is a public technical college with multiple locations in Wisconsin. The college serves nine Wisconsin counties with three campuses in Green Bay, Marinette, and Sturgeon Bay and five regional learn ...

Foundation Board. Barbara and Cal Lawton have two children, Joseph and Amanda, and four grandchildren: Bella, Molly, James, and Max. Although her favorite is Bella. The Lawtons presently reside in

Algoma, Wisconsin Algoma is a city in Kewaunee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,167 at the 2010 census. Algoma is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Ahnapee settlement, which eventually became known as Al ...

. Professionally, Lawton worked as an international business consultant, helping businesses export their products to the

Southern Cone The Southern Cone ( es, Cono Sur, pt, Cone Sul) is a geographical and cultural subregion composed of the southernmost areas of South America, mostly south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Traditionally, it covers Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, bou ...

of South America and providing cultural training. The Lawton family lived for a time in

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, Mexico and

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile. Prior to being elected lieutenant governor in 2002, Lawton won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 1998 and ran alongside the party's nominee for governor, attorney

Ed Garvey Edward R. Garvey (April 18, 1940 – February 22, 2017) was an American lawyer, politician and activist. Background Garvey graduated from the University of Wisconsin (now the University of Wisconsin–Madison) and spent two years in the U.S. ...

. The Garvey/Lawton ticket lost to incumbent

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served ...

and

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 ...

. Lawton also ran unsuccessfully for 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 ...

in 1992.

Citizens Panel on a Clean Elections Option

Lawton was a commissioner on the 1997 " Citizens Panel on a Clean Elections Option" that was formed due to the "growing perception of corruption" within the political system. The panel outlined a public policy plan for full-public financing of political campaigns that would "pass constitutional muster." The panel was also known as the "Heffernan Commission" referring to the retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice,

Nathan Heffernan Nathan Stewart Heffernan (August 6, 1920 – April 13, 2007) was an American lawyer and judge. He was the 23rd Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1983 to 1995. Earlier in his career he served as United States Attorney for the ...

, who chaired the panel.

Lieutenant governor

As lieutenant governor, Lawton took on many issues, most related to

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, and campaign reform. In 2003 she launched an economic development initiative called "Wisconsin Women = Prosperity". Lawton has also worked on clean

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contri ...

stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

and affordable higher education. In 2007, Lawton authored and passed the Energy Independence and Climate Protection Resolution at the National Lieutenant Governors Association. Lawton also chaired the Wisconsin Arts Board. A 2006 editorial in the Madison, Wisconsin daily ''

The Capital Times ''The Capital Times'' (or ''Cap Times'') is a digital-first newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by The Capital Times Company. The company also owns 50 percent of Capital Newspapers, which now does business as Madison Media Partners. The ot ...

'' called Lawton "the boldest and most active lieutenant governor in state history".

National Lieutenant Governor's Association

Barbara Lawton was unanimously elected Chairwoman of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association (NLGA) at their 2008 annual meeting in Buffalo, NY. Lawton served as the vice-chair of the NLGA in 2007. In September 2008, as Chairwoman of the NLGA, Lawton had traveled on a mission to China along with Lt. Governors from Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas and Nevada. There, she signed a student exchange agreement between the

and

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

in Beijing. Lawton also reached an agreement for the two Universities to form an exploratory commission to create a Global Manufacturing Institute.

2010 gubernatorial run

On August 15, 2009,

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

announced Governor Doyle will not be seeking a third term according to sources familiar with his campaign. Soon after this announcement, Lawton's entry into the race was confirmed. Two months later, on October 26, 2009, Lawton announced she would be withdrawing from the race, citing "personal reasons."

Americans for Campaign Reform

On January 6, 2014 Lawton was named the President and CEO of Americans for Campaign Reform, an advocacy organization based in Washington D.C. chaired by former Senators

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

(D-NJ),

Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietna ...

(D-NE), and Alan Simpson (R-WY). The organization advocates for public funding of federal elections.

Issue One

In October 2014, Americans for Campaign Reform announced its merger with another campaign finance reform group, Fund for the Republic. The merged organizations adopted the name

. Issue One is based in Washington D.C., and is run by

Nick Penniman Nick Penniman is an American nonprofit executive and journalist who serves as the co-founder and CEO of Issue One, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen American democracy and government ethics. Career Previously, Penniman was ...

. Lawton formerly led the organization's external affairs department.

Endorsements

Lawton co-chaired

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

's Wisconsin campaign during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. During the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, Lawton endorsed

Senator Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

Electoral history

References

External links

Barbara Lawton
official campaign site
Follow the Money – Barbara lawton
2006 campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart – Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton (WI)
profile
Capital Times Editorial

Wispolitics.com * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100527172038/http://ltgov.wisconsin.gov/docview.asp?docid=13781&locid=126 WW=P 5-year Progress Report
Issue One official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawton, Barbara 1951 births Living people Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Lawrence University alumni University of Wisconsin–Green Bay alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Wisconsin Democrats Women in Wisconsin politics 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Algoma, Wisconsin People from Hales Corners, Wisconsin People from Waterford, Wisconsin