Political party Democratic Name Judy Robson Party Democratic Party | Profession registered nurse Role Nurse | |
Education University of Wisconsin-Madison Residence Beloit, Wisconsin, United States | ||
Judith Biros 'Judy' Robson (born 1939) is an American nurse, nursing instructor, and politician from Beloit, Wisconsin. She served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and represented the state's fifteenth senate district. A member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Robson was the first female Democratic State Senate majority leader in Wisconsin history.
Robson was born in Cleveland, Ohio and now lives in Beloit. She received a BSN degree from St. John's College in Cleveland, and a Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1976. She is a registered nurse. Before being elected to public office, Robson worked as a nurse and as an instructor, primarily at Blackhawk Technical College.
Robson was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in June 1987 in a special election to replace Timothy Weeden (who had been elected to the State Senate). She was reelected to her seat several times and served in that house until 1999. In 1998, she was elected to the State Senate and reelected in 2002. Robson was selected by her peers to be the State Senate Democratic Leader in 2005. She was reelected in 2006 and became the Majority Leader of the Wisconsin State Senate in 2007 following the Democratic takeover of the State Senate in the 2006 elections. The day after passage of the 2007-2008 state budget, the Senate Democratic Caucus elected Russ Decker to replace Robson as Majority Leader.
Robson did not seek reelection in 2010 and was succeeded by Tim Cullen, who had held the senate seat prior to Tim Weeden.