Harvey L. Dueholm

Harvey L. Dueholm (January 29, 1910 – May 29, 1980) was an American dairy farmer and Democratic politician. He served 20 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Polk and Burnett counties.

Harvey L. Dueholm
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 1, 1973 – January 1, 1979
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byDavid E. Paulson
Constituency28th district
In office
January 5, 1959 – January 1, 1973
Preceded byLowell A. Nelson
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
ConstituencyBurnett–Polk district
Personal details
Born(1910-01-29)January 29, 1910
Bone Lake, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 1980(1980-05-29) (aged 70)
University of Wisconsin Hospital
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathCancer
Resting placeBone Lake Cemetery, Luck, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHazel (died 2005)
Children
Occupationdairy farmer, politician

Biography

Born in the town of Bone Lake, Wisconsin, Dueholm received a high school education at Luck High School and spent nearly his entire life working on his family's dairy farm.[1] He became associated with the Wisconsin Progressive Party, a breakaway faction from the Republican Party of Wisconsin which held significant power in the state during the 1930s and 1940s. But as the party began to dissolve in the late 1940s, Dueholm followed the majority of the progressives into the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

In 1945, he was elected town council chairman of Luck, Wisconsin, where he served for the next 14 years. He also became a member of the Polk County board of supervisors, and was chairman from 1957 to 1959.[2]

In 1958, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the Polk and Burnett district.[3] He defeated incumbent Republican Lowell A. Nelson, and went on to beat him in again in a close rematch in 1960.[4] He was subsequently reelected eight more times. He announced he would not seek an 11th term in 1978, and left office in January 1979.[5]

Dueholm was known for his defense of the University of Wisconsin, when it came under right-wing attack in the midst of protests against the Vietnam War, and for his advocacy for civil rights.[5] Although he never served in party leadership, he was extremely popular among his colleagues.[5]

Personal life and family

Dueholm was the eldest son of Marius Dueholm, a Danish American immigrant who came to Polk County as a child with his family. Marius Dueholm was also a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Polk County for six years from 1931 to 1937.[6]

Harvey Dueholm and his wife, Hazel, had four sons together. Their son Robert would also serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly in the same district his father once represented.

Dueholm battled cancer for over 20 years before his death in 1980.[5] He nearly lost reelection in 1966 and 1968 due to voters believing he would die before the end of his term.[7] In May 1980, he underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. He died from complications from the surgery a few days later, on May 29, 1980.[1]

Dave Obey, who represented northwest Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for 42 years (from 1969 to 2011), referred to Dueholm, who he served with in the Assembly, as his political mentor.[1] In a statement, Obey said, "Harvey Dueholm cared more about justice, fairness, and the rights of each and every human being to reach his or her full potential than any legislators with whom I have ever served. He had a sense of rage about injustice and hypocrisy and used it on many occasions to make his colleauges' votes match their conscience."[1]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly, Burnett–Polk district (1958–1970)
Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1958[3] General November 4 Harvey L. Dueholm Democratic 5,982 52.41% Lowell A. Nelson (inc.) Rep. 5,432 47.59% 11,414 550
1960[4] General November 8 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 8,060 52.45% Lowell A. Nelson Rep. 7,307 47.55% 15,367 753
1962[8] General November 6 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 5,721 56.44% Oscar A. Peterson Rep. 4,415 43.56% 10,136 1,306
1964[9] General November 3 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 8,344 56.60% Clifford Erickson Rep. 6,397 43.40% 14,741 1,947
1966[10] General November 8 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 5,365 50.87% Harry S. Pomeroy Rep. 5,182 49.13% 10,547 183
1968[11] General November 5 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 7,718 50.60% Eugene L. Wycoff Rep. 7,536 49.40% 15,254 182
1970[12] General November 3 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 6,920 55.62% Eugene L. Wycoff Rep. 5,521 44.38% 12,441 1,399

Wisconsin Assembly, 28th district (1972–1976)
Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1972[13] Primary September 12 Harvey L. Dueholm Democratic 2,532 84.12% Anthony Mucciacciaro Dem. 478 15.88% 3,010 2,054
General November 7 Harvey L. Dueholm Democratic 11,336 53.96% Charles Tollander Rep. 9,672 46.04% 21,008 1,664
1974[14] General November 5 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 9,161 64.41% Stanley A. Warland Rep. 4,932 34.68% 14,223 4,229
William Bosak Ind. 130 0.91%
1976[15] Primary September 14 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 2,532 84.12% Bethel Roberts Dem. 775 23.00% 3,369 1,819
General November 2 Harvey L. Dueholm (inc.) Democratic 13,104 53.94% Donn M. Webster Rep. 11,191 46.06% 24,295 1,913

References
  1. "Dueholm funeral services set Monday". The Capital Times. May 30, 1980. p. 10. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1977). "Biographies" (PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1977 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 41–42. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin State Party Platforms and Elections" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 659, 698. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. Toepel, M. G.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1962). "Wisconsin Elections" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1962 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 794, 867. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  5. Hunter, John Patrick (March 30, 1978). "State political leaders gather to honor Rep. Harvey Dueholm". The Capital Times. p. 2. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1935). "Members of the Legislature" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1935 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 227. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  7. "Former Assembly 'jester' Harvey Dueholm, 70, dies". Wisconsin State Journal. May 30, 1980. p. 6. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "Elections in Wisconsin" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1964 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 719, 764. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1966). "Elections in Wisconsin" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1966 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 740, 756. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1968). "Elections" (PDF). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1968 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 712, 725. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  11. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1970). "Elections" (PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin Blue Book, 1970 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 803, 818. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  12. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1971). "Elections" (PDF). The state of Wisconsin Blue Book, 1971 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 301, 319. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  13. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1973). "Elections" (PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 807, 826. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  14. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1975). "Elections" (PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1975 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 807, 829. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  15. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1977). "Elections" (PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1977 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 892, 915. Retrieved January 31, 2021.

Harvey L. Dueholm at Find a Grave

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.