Edmund V. Bobrowicz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edmund V. Bobrowicz
Personal details
Born
Edmund Victor Bobrowicz

(1919-05-01)May 1, 1919
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMarch 16, 2003(2003-03-16) (aged 83)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Adalbert's Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Progressive (1948)
Spouse
Dorothy A. Douglas
(m. 1942; died 2014)
Children
  • Victor Douglas Bobrowicz
  • (b. 1943; died 2005)
  • Spring (Truckey)
ProfessionUnion organizer, politician
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1943–1945
Battles/warsWorld War II

Edmund Victor Bobrowicz (May 1, 1919 – March 16, 2003) was an American trade union activist and politician from the state of Wisconsin.

Biography[edit]

Bobrowicz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Polish immigrants. He served in the Army during the Second World War, in the South Pacific. In 1946, Bobrowicz (then working as a union organizer) ran successfully for the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, ousting incumbent Representative Thaddeus Wasielewski, who was accused of voting for anti-labor legislation).

Before the general election, however, Bobrowicz was accused by the Milwaukee Journal of secretly being a Communist[1] and was subsequently expelled from the Democratic Party.[2] Wasielewski, hoping to regain his seat, re-entered the race as an independent, but the two split the Democratic vote, allowing Republican John C. Brophy to win, with 49,144 votes to Bobrowicz' 44,398, Wasielewski's 38.502, and Socialist George Helberg's 2,470.

Bobrowicz subsequently left politics and became a union official, working for 35 years as a representative of the International Fur & Leather Workers Union and the Amalgamated Meat Cutters until his retirement in 1977. In 1987, he and his wife moved to Green Bay to be closer to family. He died at his home in Green Bay in 2003.[3]

Electoral history[edit]

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1946[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Primary, August 13, 1946
Democratic Edmund V. Bobrowicz 11,998 52.83%
Democratic Thaddeus Wasielewski (incumbent) 10,713 47.17%
Plurality 1,285 5.66%
Total votes 22,711 100.0%
General Election, November 5, 1946
Republican John C. Brophy 49,144 36.53% +2.59%
Democratic Edmund V. Bobrowicz 44,398 33.01% -30.49%
Independent Democrat Thaddeus Wasielewski (incumbent) 38,502 28.62%
Socialist George E. Helberg 2,470 1.84% -0.72%
Plurality 4,746 3.53% -26.02%
Total votes 134,514 100.0% -17.54%
Republican gain from Democratic Swing 33.08%
Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1948[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1948
Democratic Clement J. Zablocki 89,391 55.89% +22.89%
Republican John C. Brophy (incumbent) 63,161 39.49% +2.96%
Progressive Edmund V. Bobrowicz 5,051 3.16%
Socialist Clement Stachowiak 2,326 1.45% -0.38%
Plurality 26,230 16.40% +12.87%
Total votes 159,929 100.0% +18.89%
Democratic gain from Republican Swing 19.93%

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The G. O. P. Trend". Life. November 4, 1946. p. 46. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "DEMOCRATS: Purge". Time. October 14, 1946. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "Bobrowicz, Edmund V." Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. March 16, 2003. p. 20. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1948). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1948 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 605, 676. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 754. Retrieved August 2, 2020.