Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.

Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (August 30, 1932 – July 23, 2008) was an American lawyer and a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Wedemeyer served twice on the court's Milwaukee-based District I; he was the district's presiding judge from 1983 to 1985 and from 1992 until 2007.

The Honorable Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
In office August 1, 1992 – July 23, 2008
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Kitty K. Brennan
In office August 1, 1982 – July 31, 1988
Preceded by	Rudolph T. Randa
Succeeded by	Ralph Adam Fine
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 34
In office August 1, 1988 – July 31, 1992
Appointed by	Tommy Thompson
Preceded by	Ralph Adam Fine
Succeeded by	Jacqueline D. Schellinger
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 10
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1982
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Rudolph T. Randa
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 10
In office August 1977 – July 31, 1978
Appointed by	Martin J. Schreiber
Preceded by	Harvey L. Neelen
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	August 30, 1932 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	July 23, 2008 (aged 75) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cause of death	lung cancer
Resting place	Holy Trinity Cemetery Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Spouse(s)	Susan Wedemeyer (died 2012)
Mother	Catharine Wedemeyer
Father	Theodore E. Wedemeyer
Alma mater	Marquette University Law School
Profession	lawyer, judge

Early life and career

Wedemeyer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] His father, Ted Sr., was an attorney and politician who served as a Milwaukee alderman, as a civil court judge, and as a Milwaukee County supervisor.[2] Wedemeyer Jr. graduated from Marquette University Law School and worked as a private practice attorney in Milwaukee from 1957 to 1974.[3][4] Wedemeyer was active in Democratic politics; he served on the executive board of the Milwaukee County Democratic Party and chaired Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier's campaign committee.[5][6] In the early 1970s, Wedemeyer was appointed by Maier to chair the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals.[5]

Judicial career

In 1974, Wedemeyer assisted in the development and organization of the Milwaukee Municipal Court, a limited-jurisdiction court hearing city ordinance violations. In November 1974, Maier appointed Wedemeyer as one of the court's first two judges.[5] He served as a municipal judge until 1977, when he was appointed to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court by Acting Governor Marty Schreiber.[3] In 1982, he challenged Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Rudolph T. Randa for his seat on the court's Milwaukee-based District I.[7] Wedemeyer unseated Randa in the April general election;[7] from 1983–85, he served as District I's presiding judge.[3]

In the leadup to the 1988 Milwaukee mayoral election, Wedemeyer was suggested as a possible successor to the retiring Maier, but ultimately did not run.[8] Instead, he was challenged for reelection to the Court of Appeals by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Ralph Adam Fine, who touted his opposition to plea bargaining and defeated Wedemeyer after a contentious campaign.[9] Governor Tommy G. Thompson, a Republican, appointed Wedemeyer to replace Fine on the circuit court.[10]

In 1992, Wedemeyer was returned to the Court of Appeals; he was elected without opposition to a newly created seat in District I.[11] He became the district's presiding judge in the same year, occupying that office until 2007.[3] He sought election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1995 and received support from the Milwaukee press,[12] but failed to survive the February primary election.[13]

Wedemeyer was noted for his involvement in community service activities. Active in promoting soccer in Wisconsin through the Milwaukee Kickers organization,[14] he was inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 1992.[15]

Death

Wedemeyer died of lung cancer, while still in office, on July 23, 2008.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1978)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, 2nd Circuit, Branch 10 Election, 1978[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 4, 1978
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.	53,091	100.0%
Total votes			'53,091'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (1982, 1988, 1992)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1982[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 6, 1982
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.	36,724	59.59%
	Nonpartisan	Rudolph T. Randa (incumbent)	24,903	40.41%
Total votes			'61,627'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1988[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 5, 1988
	Nonpartisan	Ralph Adam Fine	187,375	62.04%
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent)	114,634	37.96%	-21.63%
Total votes			'302,009'	'100.0%'	+390.06%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1992[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 7, 1992
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.	183,855	100.0%
Total votes			'183,855'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1995)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1995[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Primary Election, February 21, 1995
	Nonpartisan	Ann Walsh Bradley	131,889	38.85%
	Nonpartisan	N. Patrick Crooks	88,913	26.19%
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr.	64,668	19.05%
	Nonpartisan	Patience D. Roggensack	41,303	12.16%
	Nonpartisan	William A. Pangman	12,753	3.76%
Total votes			'339,526'	'100.0%'
General Election, April 4, 1995
	Nonpartisan	Ann Walsh Bradley	514,588	54.82%
	Nonpartisan	N. Patrick Crooks	424,110	45.18%
Total votes			'938,698'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (1997, 2003)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1997[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 1, 1997
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent)	72,254	100.0%
Total votes			'72,254'	'100.0%'	-60.70%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 2003[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 1, 2003
	Nonpartisan	Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. (incumbent)	67,116	100.0%
Total votes			'67,116'	'100.0%'	-7.11%

References

1. "Ted E Wedemeyer, Jr". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
2. "Ex-official stricken after wife dies". The Milwaukee Journal. March 5, 1983. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
3. "Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
4. Rabideau Silvers, Amy (July 25, 2008). "Wedemeyer helped outside the courtroom". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
5. "Wedemeyer Thought Twice Before Judgeship Verdict". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 19, 1974. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
6. Knoche, Eldon; Walters, Steven (April 5, 1988). "Maier not endorsing Fine in ad, Wedemeyer says". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
7. Wilson, Sandy (April 7, 1982). "Wedemeyer wins Appeals Court race". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
8. Hendrickson, Dave (March 1, 1987). "Many friends, few enemies". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
9. Ward, Mark (November 27, 1988). "Fine heading back to campaign trail". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
10. Christopulos, Mike (November 15, 1991). "Wedemeyer to run for new seat". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
11. Lamke, Kenneth R. (January 5, 1995). "Wedemeyer cites bench experience". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
12. "Judicial resume: Wedemeyer qualified for Supreme Court". The Milwaukee Sentinel. February 13, 1995. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
13. "Judges Bradley, Crooks advance in high court race". The Milwaukee Sentinel. February 22, 1995. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
14. "Soccer boom reflected in entries for Journal tournament". The Milwaukee Journal. July 3, 1981. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
15. "Ted E. Wedemeyer, Jr". Wisconsin Soccer Association. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
16. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1979). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1979-1980 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 886. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
17. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1983). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1983-1984 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 886. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
18. Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1989). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1989-1990 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 886. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
19. Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1993). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1993-1994 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 876. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
20. Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1995). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 893. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
21. Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1997). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 872. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
22. Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2003). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 2003-2004 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 892. Retrieved January 4, 2020.