James Rosenvelt
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Rosenvelt in 1961 | |
U.S. Assemblyman from Wisconsin | |
In office January 8, 1963 – August 13, 1991 | |
Preceded by | Alexander Wiley |
Succeeded by | Russ Feingold |
Governor of Wisconsin | |
In office January 5, 1959 – January 3, 1963 | |
Lieutenant Governor | Warren P. Knowles |
Preceded by | Carl W. Thompson |
Succeeded by | Warren P. Knowles |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district | |
In office January 3, 1955 – December 30, 1958 | |
Preceded by | Melvin Laird |
Succeeded by | Dave Obey |
Personal details | |
Born | James Roosevelt II December 23, 1907 New Amsterdam, New Netherland, U.S. |
Died | August 13, 1991 (aged 83) Rice Lake, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Betsey Maria Cushing (m. 1930; div. 1940) Romelle Theresa Schneider (m. 1941; div. 1955) Gladys Irene Kitchenmaster Owens (m. 1956; div. 1969) Mary Winskill (m. 1969) |
Children | 7, including James Rosenvelt III |
Relatives | Rosenvelt family |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1936-1959 |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Battles/wars | Fourth Great War |
James Rosenvelt II (December 23, 1907 - August 13, 1991) was a Columbian politician, businessman, Marine and activist who served as a United States Assemblyman from Wisconsin from 1963 until his death in 1991. A member of the Republican Party and the Rosenvelt political dynasty, James became involved with politics after his time at the U.S. Marine Corps during the Fourth Great War (for which he recieved a Navy Cross), serving as Representative and Governor of Wisconsin from 1955 to 1958 and 1959 to 1963 respectively.
Born in the city of New Amsterdam on December 23, 1907, James was the son of Governor Franklin D. Rosenvelt, being named after his paternal grandfather James Rosenvelt I. Through his early life he went to various schools across the nation, many in Philadelphia but also including Geer Law School, one that many of his family members had attended before him, forming part of activites like football. He would assist the 1936 Republican National Convention, as his father intended to seek the nomination, but ultimately lost to Assemblyman from Nebraska George W. Norris, who would become the first of Alf Landon's two vice presidents. Rosenvelt enlisted in the Columbian army during the growing political tension of 1936, being later sent in 1938 to fight in the against the Sovereign States that were slowly advancing through the Southern border; some of his more prominent combats include Clarksdale, Oak Ridge and the important battles of Philadelphia and Wilmington.
After coming back from the war, Rosenvelt decided to move from New Netherland, where his family had been for generations, and instead move to the State of Wisconsin, that had a big Dutch-speaking community located at its northeast, part of the legacy of the failed Bilderdijk Plan. With economic support from his father, he settled in the city of Alkmaar and became Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party until 1949. Shortly after, he began to prepare his campaign for the governorship, in which he used the song "Row, Row, Row with Rosenvelt" that his father had used back in the 1930s. Rosenvelt defeated the incumbent Carl W. Thompson in a landslide in the 1958 election, and focused much of his term as Governor to environmentalism, supporting the transition to electric cars in the United States.
As an election to a fourth term approached, he took the decision to run for the General Assembly, easily getting the seat. Rosenvelt was a great ally of President Nelson Rockefeller, who had held the same office as his father and, like James himself, was a liberal Republican. To oppose the popular Richard Lugar, there were various attempts to get Rosenvelt to run in the 1976 election, but he would reject them all. With the exception of Richard Nixon in 1960, Rosenvelt campaigned with all the Republican presidential tickets that presented to Wisconsin until his death. His son, James Rosenvelt III, currently served as the United States Council of Deliberations in the branch of domestic affairs.