John W. Eber
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.
John W. Eber | |
|---|---|
| 51st Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office January 12, 1927 – January 7, 1929 | |
| Preceded by | George A. Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Charles B. Perry |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 10th district | |
| In office January 1, 1923 – January 2, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Hasley |
| Succeeded by | Frank Chermak |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 16, 1895 Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 1972 (aged 76) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse |
Cecelia Mitchell
(m. 1921; died 1956) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Real estate |
Biography
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
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
Wisconsin Assembly (Milwaukee 10th district, 1922–1930)
| 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)
| 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
- Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1927). "Biographical". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 711. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "John W. Eber, a Progressive, Dies at Age 76". The Capital Times. March 22, 1972. p. 7. Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- Hein, Edward N. (October 2, 1934). "Bob Offers Telegram Praising President". The Capital Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "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.
- "Onstad, Others Named Attorneys for PWA". The Capital Times. August 28, 1935. p. 7. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1923 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1923. p. 579. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1925). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1925 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 576. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1927). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 587. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- 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.
- "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1931. pp. 572, 577. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1933 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. 1933. pp. 548, 554. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1933 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. 1935. pp. 559, 627. Retrieved July 25, 2023.