George P. Wetzel Sr. (March 3, 1921 – September 20, 2014) was an American legislator and jurist. Born in

Little Falls, Minnesota Little Falls is a city and the county seat of Morrison County, Minnesota, United States, near the geographic center of the state. The population was 9,140 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 8,343 in 2010 United States census ...

, Wetzel served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He received his bachelor's degree from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

and his law degree from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

. He then practiced law in Little Falls, Minnesota. From 1950 to 1954, Wetzel was an agent for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

. From 1957 to 1960, Wetzel served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

. From 1971 to his retirement in 1989, Wetzel served as probate judge, then county judge, and finally district judge for

Morrison County, Minnesota Morrison County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,010. Its county seat is Little Falls. Camp Ripley Military Reservation occupies a significant area in north-central Morrison County. Hi ...

. Wetzel died at his home in Little Falls, Minnesota, in 2014.Minnesota Legislators Past and Present – George P. Wetzel Sr.
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Notes

1921 births 2014 deaths People from Little Falls, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni University of Minnesota Law School alumni Minnesota state court judges Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Federal Bureau of Investigation agents 20th-century Minnesota state court judges United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature {{Minnesota-MNRepresentative-stub