Website District Website Parent organization Wisconsin Legislature | Senator Howard Marklein (R) | |
Type District of the Upper House Location South-western Wisconsin | ||
The 17th District of the Wisconsin Senate is located in south-western Wisconsin, and is currently composed of all of Grant, Lafayette, Juneau, and Richland counties, and parts of Iowa, Sauk, Green, Monroe, and Vernon counties (based on 2011 Wisconsin Act 43).
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Current elected officials
Howard Marklein is the senator serving the 17th district. He was elected to a four-year term in 2014.
The area of the 17th Senate District contains three State Assembly Districts:
The district is also located partly within Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, and partly within Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Representative Ron Kind.
Past senators
The boundaries of districts have changed over history. Previous politicians of a specific numbered district have represented different geographic areas, due to redistricting.
At statehood, the district was one of two for Racine County. It was represented by:
For the 1853 session, the Senate had been expanded, and the 17th District was now Rock County. It was represented by:
The Senate was redistricted after the 1890 census, and the new 17th District included (part of Rock County (the Towns of Avon, Beloit, Clinton, Newark, Plymouth, Spring Valley, and Turtle, Wisconsin; the Village of Clinton, Wisconsin, and the City of Beloit), and all of Green and Lafayette counties).
The Senate was re-districted anew in 1901; the new 17th still included all of Green and Lafayette counties, plus Iowa County; but none of Rock. The new 17th was represented by:
The Senate was re-districted again in 1901; the new 17th still included all of Green and Lafayette counties, plus Iowa County; but none of Rock. Harry Martin continued to serve the new 17th through 1914. He was succeeded by:
In 1954, the Senate was redistricted, and Grant County was added to the district. The Senators from the new 17th were:
After the 1960 census, the districts were revised, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court intervened; on May 14, 1964, they promulgated a new legislative map. The new 17th added Richland County; but Roseleip remained in office.
In April 1972, the Senate was redistricted, and new 17th regained five Rock County townships (and the cities within their boundaries) which had been part of the district in the 1890s: Avon, Magnolia, Newark, Plymouth and Spring Valley; plus Dane County's Black Earth and Mazomanie. This new 17th elected:
Before the 1982 election, a redistricting cost the 17th portions of Grant, Green and Richland counties, while adding a bit more of Rock County and for the first time a tier of southern Sauk County from Spring Green to Sauk City. Richard Kreul remained in office until he resigned in July 1991 to take a position in the Thompson administration; Dale Schultz was elected to fill his position. New district boundaries were ordered by a federal court in June 1992; the new 17th district reached further north, with more of Sauk County and a big chunk of Juneau County, while losing all of Dane, Green and Rock counties. The 2011 redistricting added back a bit of Green County, extended westward into Monroe County for the first time, and lost parts of Sauk and Iowa Counties.