Jerry L. O'Connor (born September 14, 1953) is an American Republican politician and retired banker from

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac m ...

. He is a 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 60th Assembly district The 60th Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in Eastern Wisconsin, the district comprises part of central Fond du Lac County, including the city of and the village of . The ...

since

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

; he previously represented the 52nd Assembly district from 2023 to 2025. He was the president and C.E.O. of the National Exchange Bank & Trust of

Waupun, Wisconsin Waupun is a city in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 11,344 at the 2020 census. Of this, 7,795 were in Dodge County, and 3,549 were in Fond du Lac County. In Fond du Lac County, the Town of Waup ...

, from 1998 until his retirement in 2020.

Biography

Jerry O'Connor was born in southwest Wisconsin and moved to

Lomira, Wisconsin Lomira is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,678 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Lomira (town), Wisconsin, Town of Lomira, at the crossroads of State Highways ...

, during high school. After graduating from high school, he attended Minnesota Bible College and went on to earn his master's degree from the Graduate School of Banking at 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, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. He subsequently moved to

, which has been his primary residence ever since. He had a 40 year career in banking, and was most recently the president and C.E.O. of the National Exchange Bank & Trust of

, retiring in 2020. During his career, he was also chairman of the Community Bankers of Wisconsin and was co-chair of the board of the Wisconsin Bankers Association.

Political career

In December 2021, incumbent Wisconsin state representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt announced he would not seek a sixth term in the Assembly. The following Spring, O'Connor announced that he would run for the Republican nomination to succeed Thiesfeldt in the 52nd Assembly district. The district covers most of central Fond du Lac County and is safely Republican, and ultimately saw three other candidates enter the race for the Republican nomination. O'Connor prevailed by a wide margin in the primary, taking 55% in the four-person contest. He went on to win the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

with 62% of the vote. He took office in January 2023.

Personal life and family

Jerry O'Connor has six brothers. He has been married twice. He married his high school sweetheart, Amy Lansdowne, on August 26, 1972, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. They had two daughters together and were married for nearly 43 years before she died of cancer in 2015. He subsequently married Luanne Bohlman-Romuald, a widow and mother of three adult children. Jerry and Luanne reside in the town of Fond du Lac, just outside the city of Fond du Lac.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2022)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 9, 2022 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 2022

References

External links

Campaign website
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Jerry L. O'Connor
at Wisconsin Vote {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Jerry L. 1953 births Living people Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly American bank presidents 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature