William A. Bablitch

William Albert Bablitch (March 1, 1941 – February 16, 2011) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He served as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 20 years, from 1983 to 2003. Earlier, he served nine years in the Wisconsin Senate, and was the Democratic majority leader from 1976 to 1982.[1]

The Honorable
William A. Bablitch
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
August 1, 1983 – July 31, 2003
Preceded byBruce F. Beilfuss
Succeeded byPatience D. Roggensack
President pro tempore of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
January 3, 1983 – July 31, 1983
Preceded byVacant since 1979
Fred Risser (1979)
Succeeded byVacant until 1993
Alan Lasee (1993)
Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
May 17, 1976 – May 26, 1982
Preceded byWayne F. Whittow
Succeeded byTimothy Cullen
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 24th district
In office
January 1, 1973 – July 31, 1983
Preceded byRaymond F. Heinzen
Succeeded byDavid Helbach
District Attorney of Portage County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1969 – January 1, 1973
Preceded byWendel W. Crosby
Succeeded byMaris Rushevies
Personal details
Born
William Albert Bablitch

(1941-03-01)March 1, 1941
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedFebruary 16, 2011(2011-02-16) (aged 69)
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S.
Cause of deathCancer
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1968; div. 1978)​
  • Ann Milne
    ​
    (m. 1986⁠–⁠2011)​
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin Law School
University of Virginia School of Law
ProfessionLawyer

Biography

Bablitch was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and graduated from Pacelli High School in 1959. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1963. He served in the Peace Corps for two years before earning a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968.

Bablitch served as Portage County district attorney from 1969 to 1972 and served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1972 to 1983 and was a Democrat.[2][3] He was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1983 and reelected in 1993.[4] While serving his first term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Bablitch earned a master of laws degree in the appellate process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1987.

Bablitch retired at the end of his second ten-year term on July 31, 2003. He subsequently worked as a part-time advising partner at the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Madison, Wisconsin. In retirement, he spent his winters in Hawaii, and died there on February 16, 2011, after a long battle with cancer.[5]

Personal life and family

William Bablitch married Martha Jean Virtue on January 27, 1968, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They met while both were attending the University of Wisconsin Law School.[6] Martha, afterwards known as Martha Bablitch, went on to become a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. They had one daughter before divorcing in 1978.[7] Bablitch subsequently remarried, and was survived by his second wife, Ann Milne.[3][8]

References
  1. "Bablitch, William A. 1941". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. Theobald, Rupert H.; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1981). "Biographies". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1981–1982 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 68. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  3. Rabideau Silvers, Amy (February 17, 2011). "Bablitch a longtime public servant". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  4. "Former Justices - Justice William A. Bablitch". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. Rabideau Silvers, Amy (February 17, 2011). "Bablitch, former state Supreme Court justice, dies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  6. "Mr. Bablitch Claims Bride in Michigan". Stevens Point Journal. February 8, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Martha Bablitch". Stevens Point News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  8. "Justice Bablitch to marry Feb. 15". Wisconsin State Journal. January 8, 1986. p. 5. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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