William Lorge

William D. "Bill" Lorge (born August 31, 1960) is an American real estate broker, farmer, and Republican politician. He served ten years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in 2002.

Bill Lorge
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 40th district
In office
January 2, 1989 – January 4, 1999
Preceded byFrancis R. Byers
Succeeded byJean Hundertmark
Personal details
Born (1960-08-31) August 31, 1960
Bear Creek, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Molly McGinty
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2014)​
Children4
Parent
RelativesAnna Lorge Morgan (sister)
ResidenceMadison, Wisconsin
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
OccupationReal estate broker
Websitewww.badgerlandmls.com

Early life

Born in Bear Creek, Wisconsin,[1] Lorge graduated from Clintonville High School and then received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also attended the Austro-American College in Vienna, Austria.[2]

Career

Lorge has been a real estate broker and a farmer.[2][3] He served as a Congressional aide and a Wisconsin state senate legislative assistant for his father.[4] In 1984 he ran for the 14th District State Senate seat vacated by his father, losing in the primary to Joseph Leean.[5] He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican from 1989 until 1999. A 1996 survey of legislators conducted by Madison Magazine rated Lorge poorly in several categories.[6] In 1998 Lorge lost to Jean Hundertmark in the primary.[7] That same year, Lorge submitted the highest expense report of any member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.[8]

In 2002, Lorge entered the Republican gubernatorial primary, challenging incumbent Republican Governor Scott McCallum.[9] He garnered only 8 percent of the vote, as McCallum was renominated.[10]

Personal life

His father, Gerald Lorge, served 30 years in the Wisconsin State Senate.[11] Lorge married Molly McGinty on April 11, 1996, in Bear Creek.[12] They had four children together before divorcing in 2014.[13]

Lorge has worked as an Elvis Presley impersonator.[9] He owns Badgerland MLS, a real estate company.[14]

References
  1. "Senator Shaken as Son is Born in Law Office", The Milwaukee Sentinel, September 1, 1960, part 1, p. 21.
  2. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Administration, 1997, p. 49.
  3. Wisconsin Historical Society-William D. Lorge, archived at
  4. "Why distrust grows", The Milwaukee Sentinel, December 6, 1980, part 1, p. 12.
  5. Elizabeth Brixey. "Anything-can-happen GOP primary aims at Senate", Wisconsin State Journal, August 6, 1995, p. 1C, col. 2.
  6. Wisconsin’s Best (And Worst) Legislators from Madison Magazine
  7. Andrew Blasko. "Assemblyman 'Elvis' king of expense reports", Wisconsin State Journal, January 25, 1999, p. 1B, col. 5.
  8. Blasko. "A state representative who was nicknamed "Elvis" and was the only incumbent to lose the fall primaries reported $17,775 in daily expenses for 1998, the most of any Assembly member that year."
  9. "Elvis impersonator running for GOP nomination for governor", The Journal Times, Racine, Wisconsin, June 2, 2002. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). legis.wisconsin.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Gerald Lorge dies at 78", The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, February 16, 2001, p. 5B.
  12. Wisconsin State Legislature. State of Wisconsin Assembly Journal Ninety-Second Regular Session, May 8, 1996, p. 1134.
  13. "Dane County Case Number 2014FA000001 In RE the marriage of Molly M McGinty and William D Lorge". Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  14. "Meet the Broker", BadgerlandMLS.com
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