Scott L Fitzgerald

Early life, education and career

Fitzgerald was born in Chicago, but moved with his family to Hustisford, Wisconsin, at age 11. He graduated from Hustisford High School in 1981, and earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh in 1985. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1981 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor Branch in 1985. He completed the Army Command and General Staff College and served in a number of assignments during his 27 years of service, including battalion commander. In 2009, he retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He worked for nearly a decade as a newspaper publisher. He purchased the Dodge County Independent News in Juneau, Wisconsin, in 1990, and sold it in 1996 to the Watertown Daily Times, where he remained as associate publisher for several years.

Wisconsin Senate

In 1994, Fitzgerald was elected to the Wisconsin Senate, and he has been re-elected since 1998. He was elected by his Senate Republican colleagues as Senate Majority Leader for the 2011–2012 legislative session. In prior sessions, Fitzgerald has served as Minority Leader, Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance, and Chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee. He served on a wide array of boards and study committees ranging from the Rural Economic Development Board, the Governor’s Council on Tourism, and the Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations to the Committee on Telecommunications and 911 Service.

2011 Wisconsin protests

In 2011 there were public employee protests conducted in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill. In January 2011, Fitzgerald said he wanted to meet with the unions before changing the laws, adding, "We're not going to walk through hell and go through that if the Governor doesn't offer that up."

On February 8, 2011, Fitzgerald's father was appointed to head the state patrol by the Walker Administration. Three days later, Governor Walker introduced his budget repair bill that limited collective bargaining from most municipal workers, which Fitzgerald, and all but one Republican in the State Senate, supported.

Gerrymandering

In 2011, Wisconsin Republicans drew the state's legislative map with 99 Assembly and 32 Senate districts. This map was later ruled as an "unconstitutional gerrymander" in 2016 by a three-judge panel. In response, Fitzgerald and Wisconsin state Republicans have hired attorney Paul Clement to fight this ruling before the Supreme Court. As of 2016, Wisconsin taxpayers have spent over $2 million to defend the legislative maps.

Family

Fitzgerald's father, Stephen "Steve" Fitzgerald, was Sheriff of Dodge County, Wisconsin, for 14 years and served as the U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Wisconsin. He was later appointed head of the Wisconsin State Patrol by Walker.

Fitzgerald's younger brother, Jeff, was an Assembly Representative from the 39th Assembly District, and was Assembly Speaker during the 2011–2012 legislative session.

Personal life

Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Lisa, have three sons.