L. J. Fellenz Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honorable
Louis J. Fellenz
Office:Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge
Term Start:1943
Term End:January 1, 1953
Appointer:Walter Samuel Goodland
Predecessor:Clayton F. Van Pelt
Successor:Russell E. Hanson
State1:Wisconsin
State Senate1:Wisconsin
District1:18th
Term Start1:January 1, 1929
Term End1:January 1, 1933
Predecessor1:William A. Titus
Successor1:Morley Garfield Kelly
Office2:District Attorney of
Term Start2:January 1, 1915
Term End2:January 1, 1919
Predecessor2:Thomas C. Downs
Successor2:James Murray
Birth Name:Louis John Fellenz
Birth Date:29 November 1882
Birth Place:Ashford, Wisconsin
Death Place:Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Restingplace:Rienzi Cemetery
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Party:Republican
Father:Mathias Joseph Fellenz
Mother:Susan (Beringer) Fellenz
Alma Mater:University of Wisconsin Law School

Louis John Fellenz Sr. (November 29, 1882January 1, 1953) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from Wisconsin. He was district attorney of Fond du Lac County for four years, was a member of the Wisconsin Senate, and was a Wisconsin circuit court judge for the last nine years of his life.[1] [2] [3]

Early life and career

Fellenz was born on November 29, 1882, in Ashford, Wisconsin, in Fond du Lac County. He attended school in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, before graduating from Oshkosh State Normal School in 1902. He taught school for two years before attending the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he received his LL.B. in 1907. He practiced law in Fort Atkinson for 3 years, then moved his practice to Fond du Lac.[2]

Public office

In 1914 he was elected District Attorney of Fond du Lac County, running as a Republican. He was re-elected in 1916, and left office in January 1919. He returned to his law practice until 1928, when he was elected to represent Fond du Lac County in the Wisconsin State Senate for a four-year term. In the senate, he was chairman of the interim committee on the courts, and also served on the committees on fire insurance and guardianship. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1932.[2] [4] [5]

Fellenz continued his law practice until he was appointed, in 1943, as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Fond du Lac-based 18th Circuit, replacing the retiring Judge Clayton F. Van Pelt. He was re-elected without opposition in 1947, but died in January 1853, before the end of his 2nd term.

Family and personal life

Louis Fellenz married Erma E. Tabor in 1914. They had one son and two daughters, who all survived him. His son, Louis J. Fellenz, Jr., also went on to serve as a member of the Senate, representing the same district as his father.[2]

Fellenz was an avid hunter and golfer and a baseball enthusiast.[2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1928)

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 6, 1928

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1947)

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 1, 1947

Notes and References

  1. Web site: State government: legislative branch. Wisconsin Blue Book. 2015-05-26.
  2. A Joint Resolution relating to the life and public service of Louis J. Fellenz, Sr. . Wisconsin Session Laws . 1953 . 595 . . December 21, 2019. Wisconsin .
  3. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1931 . The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1931 . 1931 . Kelly . Alice . State of Wisconsin. . Legislative branch of the state government . 205. December 21, 2019.
  4. News: Reilly Reelection in Sixth District Appears Certainty. Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. November 9, 1932. 18. Newspapers.com. September 7, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160917072115/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6534010/michael_reilly_18691944/. September 17, 2016.
  5. Web site: Fellenz, L. J.. Political Graveyard. 2015-05-26.