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John W. Eber

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John W. Eber
51st Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 12, 1927 – January 7, 1929
Preceded byGeorge A. Nelson
Succeeded byCharles B. Perry
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Milwaukee 10th district
In office
January 1, 1923 – January 2, 1933
Preceded byFred Hasley
Succeeded byFrank Chermak
Personal details
Born(1895-10-16)October 16, 1895
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 1972(1972-03-18) (aged 76)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political party
Spouse
Cecelia Mitchell
(m. 1921; died 1956)
Children1
Education
OccupationReal estate

John W. Eber (October 16, 1895 – March 18, 1972) was an American lawyer, businessman, and Progressive Republican politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the 51st speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1927–1928), and served ten years in the Assembly, representing the west side of the city of Milwaukee.

Biography

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Eber was born on October 16, 1895, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. As a child he moved with his parents to St. Paul, Minnesota, and then to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was his primary residence for the rest of his life. He attended Marquette University and then the University of Wisconsin–Extension, then went into business with Willard P. Lyons in the insurance and real estate business.[1][2]

Eber was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1922, running on the Republican Party ticket.[2] He represented Milwaukee's 10th Assembly district, which then comprised the 16th and 23rd wards of Milwaukee in the western part of the city.[1] He was re-elected four times. He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee during the 1925–1926 session and was then chosen as speaker in the 1927–1928 session. He was the youngest speaker up to that time in Wisconsin history,[1] but that record was broken a few years later by Cornelius T. Young.

Following redistricting in 1931, Eber resided in the new Milwaukee 8th Assembly district. He ran for a sixth term in the Assembly in 1932, but was defeated by Democrat James W. Higgins. He subsequently became a leader of the new Wisconsin Progressive Party, which had split from the Republican Party of Wisconsin after decades of factional fighting between Republican progressives and conservatives.[3] He made another bid for a sixth term in 1934, running on the Progressive Party ticket, but lost to Democrat Donald P. Ryan.[4]

Eber remained involved in public affairs after his election losses, and encouraged the public to become more educated about the business of the Legislature. He was also hired to handle legal work for the state branch of the Works Progress Administration.[5] Eber subsequently settled into a law practice in Milwaukee.

Eber died of a heart attack at the Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee on March 18, 1972.[2]

Personal life and family

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On April 21, 1921, Eber married Cecelia "Celia" Mitchell of Waterford, New York. They had one daughter together and were married for 35 years before her death in 1956.[2]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (Milwaukee 10th district, 1922–1930)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1922 General[6] Nov. 7 John W. Eber Republican 3,829 59.37% William E. Jordan Soc. 2,618 40.60% 6,449 1,211
1924 Primary[7] Sep. 2 John W. Eber (inc) Republican J. B. Retzer Rep.
J. A. Lightner Rep.
General[7] Nov. 4 John W. Eber (inc) Republican 5,360 67.98% Hugo Knuessel Soc. 2,525 32.02% 7,885 2,835
1926 General[8] Nov. 2 John W. Eber (inc) Republican 4,039 65.86% Walter G. Otto Soc. 2,094 34.14% 6,133 1,945
1928 General[9] Nov. 6 John W. Eber (inc) Republican 6,922 49.88% James D. Lawler Dem. 4,655 33.55% 13,876 2,267
August Neitzel Soc. 2,299 16.57%
1930 Primary[10] Sep. 16 John W. Eber (inc) Republican 1,961 28.54% Harold C. Schultz Rep. 1,884 27.42% 6,871 77
Frank M. Stanton Rep. 1,693 24.64%
John P. Murphy Rep. 1,333 19.40%
General[10] Nov. 6 John W. Eber (inc) Republican 4,103 49.46% Otto F. Erick Soc. 2,513 30.29% 8,296 1,590
Richard F. Cline Dem. 1,251 15.08%
John P. Murphy Ind. 429 5.17%

Wisconsin Assembly (Milwaukee 8th district, 1932 & 1934)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1932 Primary[11] Sep. 20 John W. Eber Republican 3,226 47.23% McCarthy Rep. 2,549 37.32% 6,830 677
John P. Murphy Rep. 1,055 15.45%
General[11] Nov. 8 James W. Higgins Democratic 6,976 46.97% John W. Eber Rep. 4,872 32.81% 14,851 2,104
Frank Oldenburg Soc. 3,003 20.22%
1934 Primary[12] Sep. 18 John W. Eber Progressive 559 56.64% Walter E. Wilson Prog. 243 24.62% 987 316
John P. Murphy Prog. 185 18.74%
General[12] Nov. 6 Donald P. Ryan Democratic 3,716 35.35% John W. Eber Prog. 2,917 27.75% 10,513 799
Archie Bottoni Soc. 2,143 20.38%
Leo B. Hanley Rep. 1,737 16.52%

References

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  1. ^ a b c Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1927). "Biographical". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 711. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "John W. Eber, a Progressive, Dies at Age 76". The Capital Times. March 22, 1972. p. 7. Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Hein, Edward N. (October 2, 1934). "Bob Offers Telegram Praising President". The Capital Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Speaker-Elect Harold Froehlich Youngest to Take Post in 25 Years". The Post-Crescent. December 23, 1966. p. 13. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Onstad, Others Named Attorneys for PWA". The Capital Times. August 28, 1935. p. 7. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1923 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1923. p. 579. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1925). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1925 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 576. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1927). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 587. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Anderson, William J.; Anderson, William A., eds. (1929). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 513. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1931. pp. 572, 577. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1933 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. 1933. pp. 548, 554. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1933 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. 1935. pp. 559, 627. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 10th district
January 1, 1923 – January 2, 1933
Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
January 12, 1927 – January 7, 1929
Succeeded by