Appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson Preceded by Stewart G. Honeck Party Democratic Party Preceded by Gaylord Nelson Spouse Jane Conway (m. 1971) | Lieutenant Jack B. Olson Name John Reynolds Preceded by Kenneth Philip Grubb Political party Democratic Succeeded by Warren P. Knowles | |
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Full Name John Whitcome Reynolds, Jr. Born April 4, 1921
Green Bay, Wisconsin ( 1921-04-04 ) Role Former Governor of Wisconsin Died January 6, 2002, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Education University of Wisconsin-Madison Previous office Governor of Wisconsin (1963–1965) | ||
John Whitcome Reynolds Jr. (April 4, 1921 – January 6, 2002) was an American politician and federal judge. A Democrat, he served as the 36th Governor of Wisconsin.
Life and career
Reynolds was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the son of Madge (Flatley) and John W. Reynolds Sr. 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. 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.