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.
Early life and career
Wedemeyer's 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.[1] Wedemeyer Jr. graduated from Marquette University Law School and worked as a private practice attorney in Milwaukee from 1957 to 1974.[2][3] 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.[4][5] In the early 1970s, Wedemeyer was appointed by Maier to chair the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals.[4]
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.[4] He served as a municipal judge until 1977, when he was appointed to the Milwaukee CountyCircuit Court by Acting Governor Marty Schreiber.[2] In 1982, he challenged Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Rudolph T. Randa for his seat on the court's Milwaukee-based District I.[6] Wedemeyer unseated Randa in the April general election;[6] from 1983 to 1985, he served as District I's presiding judge.[2]
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.[7] 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.[8] Governor Tommy Thompson, a Republican, appointed Wedemeyer to replace Fine on the circuit court.[9]
In 1992, Wedemeyer was returned to the Court of Appeals; he was elected without opposition to a newly created seat in District I.[10] He became the district's presiding judge in the same year, occupying that office until 2007.[2] He sought election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1995 and received support from the Milwaukee press,[11] but failed to survive the February primary election.[12]
Wedemeyer was noted for his involvement in community service activities. Active in promoting soccer in Wisconsin through the Milwaukee Kickers organization,[13] he was inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 1992.[14]
Death
Wedemeyer died of lung cancer, while still in office, on July 23, 2008.
