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John C. Brophy

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This article is about the 20th century U.S. representative from Wisconsin. For others with a similar name, see John Brophy.
John C. Brophy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Preceded byThaddeus Wasielewski
Succeeded byClement J. Zablocki
Personal details
BornOctober 8, 1901
Eagle, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 1976(1976-12-26) (aged 75)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathCancer
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political party
SpouseMarie Pechauer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1919–1921

John Charles Brophy (October 8, 1901 – December 26, 1976) was an American labor union organizer and Progressive and Republican politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district during the 80th Congress (1947–1949). He also served as a member of the Milwaukee Common Council. Earlier in his career, he was active in the Coke and Gas Worker's union, and was president of the Milwaukee local.

Early life and career

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John C. Brophy was born in the town of Eagle, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.[1] As a child, he moved with his family to the nearby city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Milwaukee's St. Patrick's School and attended Marquette Academy for a year.[1] Just before turning 18, he enlisted in the United States Navy, about a year after the armistice ending World War I. He served in the Navy from August 1919 to May 1921, and received an honorable discharge.[2]

After the war, he attended the Milwaukee Vocational School and worked as a mechanic for aircraft manufacturers and railroads. Through that work, he became involved in organized labor with the Coke and Gas Worker's union, and ultimately became president of the Milwaukee local. He was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1939, and served until his election to Congress.[1][2]

Congress

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Wisconsin's 4th congressional district 1932–1963

In 1942, Brophy made his first run for U.S. House of Representatives, running as the Wisconsin Progressive Party nominee in Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, which then comprised the southern half of Milwaukee County. His opponents in the race were the incumbent Democratic representative, Thaddeus Wasielewski, and Republican former U.S. representative John C. Schafer. Wasielewski prevailed with nearly 49% of the vote, Brophy came in a distant third with 18%.[3]

In 1946, the Wisconsin Progressive Party voted to disband, with the majority of delegates voting to rejoin the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Brophy thus became a member of the Republican Party and that summer made another bid for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, this time seeking the Republican nomination.[4] He faced a very crowded Republican field, with seven other Republicans in the race. Brophy prevailed with 24% of the vote.[5] On the other side of the ticket, the Democratic incumbent, Thaddeus Wasielewski, lost his primary to union organizer Edmund V. Bobrowicz. After the primary, Bobrowicz was accused of communist ties, and Wasielewski decided to re-enter the race as an independent candidate.[6] With Wasielewski taking 28.6% of the vote, Brophy won the general election with just 36.5% of the vote.[5]

Brophy served in the 80th Congress, which was nicknamed the "Do-Nothing Congress" by U.S. President Harry Truman. Brophy lost his seat in the Democratic wave election of 1948, receiving just 39% of the vote against Democratic state senator Clement Zablocki, who won the seat with 56% of the vote.[7]

Brophy made one more attempt to run for Congress in 1950, challenging Zablocki again. Brophy again faced a competitive primary, but managed to defeat his two Republican opponents. Brophy and Zablocki were the only candidates in this general election, and Zablocki won again in a landslide, taking 61% of the vote.[8]

Although he served only one brief term in Congress, in a term that infamously accomplished very little, his congressional career had one lasting consequence: He nominated Juneau High School graduate Jim Lovell to attend the United States Naval Academy. Lovell went on to become an astronaut and famously commanded the Apollo 13 mission.[9]

Later years

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Brophy never ran for elected office again, but remained active in politics. He was chosen to serve on the Republican electoral college slate for the 1952 United States presidential election. Since the Republican nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, won the state of Wisconsin, Brophy served as one of Wisconsin's 12 presidential electors that year.[10]

In his later years, he worked in sales and public relations.

Brophy died of cancer in December 1976. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee.[11]

Electoral history

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U.S. House (1942)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1942[3] General Nov. 3 Thaddeus Wasielewski (inc) Democratic 46,819 48.79% John C. Schafer Rep. 29,104 30.33% 95,955 17,715
John C. Brophy Prog. 17,468 18.20%
Robert Buech Soc. 2,535 2.64%

U.S. House (1946, 1948, 1950)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1946[5] Primary Aug. 13 John C. Brophy Republican 9,707 24.11% William E. Bohn Rep. 8,716 21.64% 40,269 991
Frank Schultz Rep. 5,754 14.29%
Chester Michalak Rep. 4,143 10.29%
Leon Nowak Rep. 3,371 8.37%
John Pringle Rep. 3,233 8.03%
Lillian Kohlmetz Rep. 3,232 8.03%
Harry Chelminiak Rep. 2,113 5.25%
General Nov. 5 John C. Brophy Republican 49,144 36.53% Edmund V. Bobrowicz Dem. 44,398 33.01% 134,514 4,746
Thaddeus Wasielewski (inc) Ind.D. 38,502 28.62%
George E. Helberg Soc. 2,470 1.84%
1948[7] Primary Sep. 21 John C. Brophy (inc) Republican 23,183 59.09% Charles A. Madison Rep. 9,050 23.07% 39,231 14,133
Ruth Foster Froemming Rep. 6,998 17.84%
General Nov. 2 Clement Zablocki Democratic 89,391 55.89% John C. Brophy (inc) Rep. 63,161 39.49% 159,955 26,230
Edmund V. Bobrowicz Prog. 5,051 3.16%
Clement Stachowiak Soc. 2,326 1.45%
1950[7] Primary Sep. 19 John C. Brophy Republican 14,064 48.35% Thomas Kattnig Rep. 11,005 37.83% 29,087 3,059
Paul A. Schmelter Rep. 4,018 13.81%
General Nov. 7 Clement Zablocki (inc) Democratic 83,564 60.87% John C. Brophy Rep. 53,702 39.12% 137,282 29,862

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1948). "Members of Congress". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1948 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 23. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "New Faces in Congress". The Washington Star. December 30, 1946. p. 21. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1944). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1944 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 509, 578. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "76 Candidates File For State, Congress Posts". The Capital Times. June 1, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1948). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1948 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 605, 676. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "Democrats to Probe Bobrowicz's Red Tinge". Wisconsin State Journal. September 18, 1946. p. 7. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1950 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 652, 754. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1952). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1952 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 675, 745. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Astronaut Lived in Milwaukee". The Capital Times. September 18, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kohler and Thomson are Named Electors". The Capital Times. October 1, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Ex-state congressman dies". Racine Journal Times. December 27, 1976. p. 7. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 4th congressional district
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 		Succeeded by
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