John C. Brophy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Thaddeus Wasielewski |
| Succeeded by | Clement J. Zablocki |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1901 Eagle, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 1976(1976-12-26) (aged 75) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery, Milwaukee |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | Marie Pechauer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1919–1921 |
John Charles Brophy (October 8, 1901 – December 26, 1976) was an American labor union organizer andProgressive andRepublican politician fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of theU.S. House of Representatives, representingWisconsin's 4th congressional district during the80th Congress (1947–1949). He also served as a member of theMilwaukee Common Council. Earlier in his career, he was active in theCoke and Gas Worker's union, and was president of the Milwaukee local.
John C. Brophy was born in the town ofEagle, inWaukesha County, Wisconsin.[1] As a child, he moved with his family to the nearby city ofMilwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Milwaukee'sSt. Patrick's School and attendedMarquette Academy for a year.[1] Just before turning 18, he enlisted in theUnited States Navy, about a year after the armistice endingWorld War I. He served in the Navy from August 1919 to May 1921, and received anhonorable discharge.[2]
After the war, he attended theMilwaukee Vocational School and worked as a mechanic for aircraft manufacturers and railroads. Through that work, he became involved in organized labor with theCoke and Gas Worker's union, and ultimately became president of the Milwaukee local. He was elected to theMilwaukee Common Council in 1939, and served until his election to Congress.[1][2]
In 1942, Brophy made his first run forU.S. House of Representatives, running as theWisconsin Progressive Party nominee inWisconsin's 4th congressional district, which then comprised the southern half ofMilwaukee County. His opponents in the race were the incumbent Democratic representative,Thaddeus Wasielewski, and Republican former U.S. representativeJohn 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 theRepublican 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 organizerEdmund 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 the80th Congress, which was nicknamed the "Do-Nothing Congress" by U.S. PresidentHarry Truman. Brophy lost his seat in the Democratic wave election of 1948, receiving just 39% of the vote against Democratic state senatorClement 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 nominatedJuneau High School graduateJim Lovell to attend theUnited States Naval Academy. Lovell went on to become an astronaut and famously commanded theApollo 13 mission.[9]
Brophy never ran for elected office again, but remained active in politics. He was chosen to serve on the Republican electoral college slate for the1952 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 ofcancer in December 1976. He was buried in theMount Olivet Cemetery in Milwaukee.[11]
| 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% | |||||||||
| 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 | |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 4th congressional district January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | Succeeded by |
