Herman Sachtjen
Wisconsin Circuit Judge for the 9th circuit, branch 2
In office
November 1, 1943 – December 1, 1956
Appointed byWalter Samuel Goodland
Preceded byAugust C. Hoppmann
Succeeded byEdwin M. Wilkie
Wisconsin Circuit Judge for the 9th circuit, branch 1
In office
January 1, 1926 – January 1, 1927
Appointed byJohn J. Blaine
Preceded byE. Ray Stevens
Succeeded byAlbert G. Zimmerman
49th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 14, 1925 – December 31, 1925
Preceded byJohn L. Dahl
Succeeded byGeorge A. Nelson
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dane 1st district
In office
January 3, 1921 – December 31, 1925
Preceded byMarcus E. Johnson
Succeeded byAlvin C. Reis
Personal details
Born(1886-11-28)November 28, 1886
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMarch 24, 1978(1978-03-24) (aged 91)
Verona, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeLakeview Lutheran Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political party
Spouse
Mabel Minne Homewood
​
​
(died 1975)​
Children
  • William Charles Sachtjen
  • (b. 1918; died 1990)
  • 3 others

Herman Wilhelm Gustav Sachtjen (November 28, 1886 – March 24, 1978) was an American lawyer, judge, and progressive Republican politician from Dane County, Wisconsin. He served as the 49th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and later served 14 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in south-central Wisconsin.

Early life and education

Herman W. Sachtjen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but soon returned with his family to Dane County, Wisconsin, to the farm in the town of Burke where his father had been born and raised.[1][2]

He grew up working on the family farm. After receiving his early education in the rural county school in Burke, Sachtjen was sent to attend the public schools in the neighboring city of Madison, Wisconsin, for most of his primary education, graduating from Madison High School in 1905. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin, earning his bachelor's degree in 1909 and graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1911.[3]

Career

After graduating, he practiced law in Madison for several years and quickly became involved in politics with the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He was secretary of the Dane County Republican committee in 1912 and 1913 and was chairman from 1916 through 1925.[3]

In 1920, he was nominated by the Republican Party and elected without Democratic opposition to the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Dane County's 1st Assembly district. At the time, the district solely comprised the city and town of Madison. He was re-elected with similarly little opposition in 1922. He won re-election in 1924 with a large majority over Democratic and Independent candidates.[3]

In 1923 he was appointed state prohibition commissioner by Governor John J. Blaine, though Sachtjen was personally opposed to prohibition before, during, and after his time as commissioner. He resigned as commissioner in 1925 in order to devote his attention to serving as speaker of the Assembly during the 57th Wisconsin Legislature,[3] but was re-appointed commissioner of prohibition again after the regular session of the Assembly concluded. He resigned again as prohibition commissioner and resigned from the Assembly in December 1925, when he was appointed Wisconsin circuit judge for branch 1 of the 9th circuit. As an appointee, he had to run for election to fill the remainder of the unexpired term in the Spring 1926 election, but was defeated by Dane County judge Albert G. Zimmerman.[4] His term expired at the end of 1926.

He briefly returned to his legal practice, but was soon appointed Dane County divorce counsel by the circuit judges covering Dane county—August C. Hoppmann and his 1926 opponent Albert G. Zimmerman. He served in that role for the next 17 years.[5] He challenged Zimmerman again in the judicial election of 1932 but lost again.[6]

He returned to the judicial bench in 1943, when he was appointed to replace judge Hoppmann, who had died in office.[1] This time he won a subsequent 1944 election to remain in office and was re-elected again without opposition in 1949 and 1955, serving for another 13 years. On turning 70 on November 28, 1956, he reached the mandatory retirement age that existed for Wisconsin judges at that time, and formally retired from the bench on December 1, 1956.[7]

Personal life and family

Sachtjen was the eldest of seven children born to William and Pauline (née Hartkopf) Sachtjen. William Sachtjen lived most of his life in Burke and served on the town board, the school board, and the county board.[1] William Sachtjen's father was a German American immigrant, who settled in Dane County in 1848.[1]

Herman Sachtjen married Mabel Minne Homewood of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on September 15, 1915. They had four children together, though one died in infancy. Their eldest son was William Charles Sachtjen, who went on to serve as an officer in the United States Army during World War II and was elected Dane County judge and later a Wisconsin circuit judge for the 9th circuit, serving 12 years.[8]

Herman and Mabel Sachtjen were married for nearly 60 years, until her death in 1975. He entered a retirement home in Verona, Wisconsin, where he died on March 24, 1978, at age 91.[2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1920, 1922, 1924)

Wisconsin Assembly, Dane 1st District Election, 1920
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1920[9]
Republican Herman W. Sachtjen 11,261 96.38% +27.45%
Independent Taynton 423 3.62%
Plurality 10,838 92.76% +52.64%
Total votes 11,684 100.0% +139.13%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Assembly, Dane 1st District Election, 1922
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Primary, September 5, 1922[10]
Republican Herman W. Sachtjen (incumbent) 6,229 57.60%
Republican Otto Toepfer 4,586 42.40%
Plurality 1,643 15.19%
Total votes 10,815 100.0%
General Election, November 7, 1922[11]
Republican Herman W. Sachtjen (incumbent) 7,540 93.27% -3.11%
Independent W. J. Robinson 544 6.73%
Plurality 6,996 86.54% -6.22%
Total votes 8,084 100.0% -30.81%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Assembly, Dane 1st District Election, 1924[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1924
Republican Herman W. Sachtjen (incumbent) 12,108 58.90%
Independent James McDonald 5,890 28.65%
Democratic John H. Bowman 2,560 12.45%
Plurality 6,218 30.25% -56.30%
Total votes 20,558 100.0% +154.30%
Republican hold

Wisconsin circuit court (1926, 1932)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, 9th Circuit, Branch 1 Election, 1926[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 6, 1926
Nonpartisan A. G. Zimmerman 15,775 55.34%
Nonpartisan Herman W. Sachtjen (incumbent) 9,890 34.69%
Nonpartisan E. C. Frank Meier 2,841 9.97%
Plurality 5,885 20.64%
Total votes 28,506 100.0%
Wisconsin Circuit Court, 9th Circuit, Branch 1 Election, 1932[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 5, 1932
Nonpartisan A. G. Zimmerman (incumbent) 23,276 59.33% +3.99%
Nonpartisan Herman W. Sachtjen 15,957 40.67% +5.98%
Plurality 7,319 18.66%
Total votes 39,233 100.0% +37.63%

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "They Say of the New Judge: He's Square Shooter, Good Lawyer, Friend of People". The Capital Times. October 31, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Former Judge Herman Sachtjen Dies". Wisconsin State Journal. March 26, 1978. p. 4. Retrieved January 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1925). "Biographical Sketches". The Wisconsin Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 659. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Holmes, Fred L., ed. (1927). "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 449. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Bull Resigns; Sachtjen is New Counsel". Wisconsin State Journal. May 10, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1933. p. 506. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ed Wilkie Expected To Be Appointed Circuit Court Judge". The Capital Times. November 15, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Judge Sachtjen Begins His New Life". Wisconsin State Journal. January 3, 1978. p. 2. Retrieved January 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ↑ "Thompson Wins Dane County Vote". Wisconsin State Journal. November 3, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Daggett Gives Victor Warm Race For Office". Wisconsin State Journal. September 6, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1923. p. 578. Retrieved February 8, 2023.


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