William H. Dieterich (judge)

William Herbert Dieterich (December 18, 1897 – July 23, 1964) was an attorney and jurist from Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1959 until his death in 1964.[1]

The Honorable
William H. Dieterich
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1959 – July 23, 1964
Preceded byEmmert L. Wingert
Succeeded byNathan Heffernan
Personal details
Born
William Herbert Dieterich

(1897-12-18)December 18, 1897
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
DiedJuly 23, 1964(1964-07-23) (aged 66)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Resting placePleasant Hill Cemetery
Hartford, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Kathryn Marie Block
  • (died 1990)
Children
  • William H. Dieterich III
Parents
  • William V. Dieterich (father)
  • Martha (Wolf) Dieterich (mother)
Alma mater
Professionlawyer, judge
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1917–1919
Unit120th Field Artillery
Battles/warsWorld War I

Early life

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He was born at his father's farm in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.[2] He enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 during World War I. He helped found the American Legion.[2]

After the war was over, he went to college at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Montana and later to law school at Marquette University Law School.[1] He passed his bar exam in 1923 to become a lawyer.

Career

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He served as a trial attorney in Milwaukee and Washington Counties for 36 years.[1] He lost several elections for Wisconsin's Attorney General and Wisconsin Supreme Court.[2]

Dieterich was first elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1958, when he defeated Emmert L. Wingert in 1958 to become a Justice.[2] In 1961, he convinced the Wisconsin Legislature to employ law clerks for the Supreme Court.[2]

Personal life

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He had a son William H. Dieterich III with his wife Kathryn Block.[2] Dieterich died on July 23, 1964.

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Attorney General (1948)

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Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1948[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 21, 1948
Republican Donald J. Martin 154,128 36.75%
Republican William H. Dieterich 104,187 24.84%
Democratic Thomas E. Fairchild 97,435 23.23%
Republican Frank X. Didier 27,316 6.51%
Republican Grover L. Broadfoot (incumbent) 26,572 6.34%
Progressive Michael Essin 6,180 1.47%
Socialist Anna Mae Davis 3,606 0.86%
Total votes '419,424' '100.0%'
General Election, November 2, 1948
Democratic Thomas E. Fairchild 622,312 50.67% +21.96%
Republican Donald J. Martin 583,298 47.49% −22.47%
Progressive Michael Essin 11,908 0.97%
Socialist Anna Mae Davis 10,641 0.87% −0.46%
Total votes '1,228,159' '100.0%' +25.88%
Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1956, 1958)

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1956[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, March 6, 1956
Independent Thomas E. Fairchild 250,442 71.77%
Independent William H. Dieterich 68,288 19.57%
Independent Clair L. Finch 30,244 8.67%
Total votes '348,974' '100.0%'
General Election, April 3, 1956
Independent Thomas E. Fairchild 574,429 77.59%
Independent William H. Dieterich 165,953 22.41%
Total votes '740,382' '100.0%'
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1958[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 1, 1958
Independent William H. Dieterich 232,955 52.43% +30.02%
Independent Emmert L. Wingert (incumbent) 211,319 47.57%
Total votes '444,274' '100.0%' -41.32%

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "Dieterich, William Herbert 1897". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Wisconsin Court System - Justice William H. Dieterich". www.wicourts.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). pp. 651, 753. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Toepel, M.G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1958). "Parties and elections: the judicial and nonpartisan elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1958 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 780–781. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Toepel, M.G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin state party platforms and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 701. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Otto F. Christenson
Progressive nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin
1942, 1944
Succeeded by
None