John W. Reynolds Jr.

John W. Reynolds Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
In office October 21, 1965 – August 31, 1986
Appointed by	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Kenneth Philip Grubb
Succeeded by	Joseph Peter Stadtmueller
36th Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 7, 1963 – January 4, 1965
Lieutenant	Jack B. Olson
Preceded by	Gaylord Nelson
Succeeded by	Warren P. Knowles
34th Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office January 5, 1959 – January 7, 1963
Preceded by	Stewart G. Honeck
Succeeded by	Robert W. Warren
Personal details
Born	John Whitcome Reynolds, Jr. April 4, 1921 Green Bay, Wisconsin
Died	January 6, 2002 (aged 80) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Patricia Ann Brady, 1947–1967 (her death); Jane C. Conway, 1971–2002 (his death)
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	First Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II

John Whitcome Reynolds, Jr. (April 4, 1921 – January 6, 2002) was an American politician and federal judge. A Democrat,^[1] he served as the 36th Governor of Wisconsin.

Life and career

Reynolds was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to John W. Reynolds, Sr. and his wife. After serving in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946, he received a Ph.B. from the University of Wisconsin in 1946 and an LL.B. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1949. In 1947, he married Patricia Ann Brady, who preceded him in death in 1967, and in 1971 he married Jane C. Conway. Reynolds was a district director for the U.S. Office of Price Stabilization from 1951 to 1953. He then served as a U.S. Commissioner for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin from 1953 to 1958.

Reynolds was elected Attorney General of Wisconsin, serving in that role from 1959 to 1963. In November 1962 he was elected Governor of Wisconsin, serving from 1963 to 1965.

Reynolds opposed segregationist George Wallace in the 1964 Democratic presidential primaries who would otherwise have run unopposed, as Lyndon Johnson refused to say he was in the race. Like the other "favorite sons" who ran in Johnson's place (such as Matthew E. Welsh and Daniel Brewster), he won his state's primaries. As is required, Wisconsin delegates to the 1964 Democratic National Convention voted for Reynolds on the first ballot, then voted for Johnson.

On October 13, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin to a seat vacated by Kenneth P. Grubb. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 21, 1965 and received his commission the same day. He served as chief judge from 1971 to 1986. As a judge, he ordered the desegregation of Milwaukee's schools in 1976.^[2] Reynolds assumed senior status on August 31, 1986, and served until his death.

Reynolds died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the age of 80 due to complications from heart disease.^[3]

Notes

1. "Former Wisconsin Officer Succumbs". The Rhinelander Daily News. February 5, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "This Town Was Built Segregated". Wisconsin State Journal. February 29, 1976. p. 35. Retrieved April 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Reynolds, John W. 1921. Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on January 22, 2016.

External links

John W. Reynolds Jr. at Find a Grave

• John W. Reynolds Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.