Bill Dyke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of the 7th District ofWisconsin Circuit Courts | |
| In office August 1, 2007 – July 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Michael J. Rosborough |
| Succeeded by | James J. Duvall |
| Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for theIowa Circuit | |
| In office January 1, 1997 – January 2016 | |
| Appointed by | Tommy Thompson |
| Preceded by | James P. Fiedler |
| Succeeded by | Margaret M. Koehler |
| 49th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1969 – April 17, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Otto Festge |
| Succeeded by | Paul Soglin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1930-04-25)April 25, 1930 Princeton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 2016(2016-03-10) (aged 85) Dodgeville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Pancreatic cancer |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations | American Independent(1976) |
| Spouse | Christine |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | DePauw University University of Wisconsin Law School |
William D. "Bill" Dyke (April 25, 1930 – March 10, 2016) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He was the 49thmayor ofMadison, Wisconsin, from 1969 to 1973, and ran forVice President of the United States on theAmerican Independent Partyticket with presidential candidateLester Maddox in the1976 presidential election. He was also the Republican nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin in the1974 gubernatorial election. From 1996 until two months before his death, in 2016, he served as aWisconsin circuit court judge inIowa County, Wisconsin; he was chief judge of the 7th Judicial Administrative District from 2007 to 2013.
Dyke received his bachelor's degree fromDePauw University inIndiana.[1] While completing his degree at theUniversity of Wisconsin Law School, he hostedCircus 3, a local children's television program onWISC-TV.[2] He also moderatedFace the State, a local political news program modeled after the nationally televisedFace the Nation. The program included interviews withRichard Nixon,Hubert Humphrey,Gerald Ford,John F. Kennedy and other prominent politicians.[3]
Dyke was a two-termmayor ofMadison, Wisconsin from 1969 to 1973.[4] His tenure as mayor is considered a colorful and often controversial part of Madison's history.[5] Dyke presided over Madison during the most turbulent era in the city's history, highlighted by theSterling Hall bombing and subsequent clashes with student uprisings.[4] One of those student activists,Paul Soglin, defeated Dyke's attempt for re-election in 1973.[4][6] Undeterred, Dyke ran as the Republican nominee for governor in 1974, losing to DemocratPatrick Lucey.[4]
AconservativeRepublican, Dyke briefly left the party in1976 to join Lester Maddox's American Independent Party presidential ticket as the vice presidential nominee; however, he disavowed Maddox'ssegregationist views.[7] Maddox and Dyke won 170,274 votes in the general election (or 0.21% of votes).[8]
Following the end of his political career, Dyke opened a general contracting business inMount Horeb, Wisconsin, and bredhorses.[9] He also worked as a family mediation lawyer inMineral Point, Wisconsin.[9]
On December 3, 1996,GovernorTommy Thompson appointed Dyke to the circuit court vacancy inIowa County, created by the impending retirement of Judge James P. Fiedler.[4][10] He was elected to a full term on the court in 1998 and subsequently re-elected in 2004 and 2010. He later was selected as the chief judge of the 7th Judicial Administrative District by theWisconsin Supreme Court, and served the maximum of three two-year terms in that role. Dyke left the bench in January 2016, and died of pancreatic cancer in aDodgeville, Wisconsin, nursing home two months later.[4][11][9]
Dyke illustrated the children's bookThe General's Hat, or Why the Bell Tower Stopped Working, a tale written by Kay Price about two mice who get on the same ship with GeneralUlysses S. Grant on his travels toGalena,Illinois.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election, March 6, 1973 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | William Dyke (incumbent) | 16,243 | 36.16% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Paul Soglin | 11,485 | 25.56% | ||
| Nonpartisan | David Stewart | 10,350 | 23.04% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Leo Cooper | 6,150 | 13.69% | ||
| Nonpartisan | R. Whelan Burke | 283 | 0.63% | ||
| Nonpartisan | David Robb | 161 | 0.36% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Joseph Kraemer | 122 | 0.27% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Mark Gregersen | 27 | 0.06% | ||
| Scattering | 105 | 0.23% | |||
| Total votes | 44,926 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, April 3, 1973 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Paul Soglin | 37,548 | 52.35% | ||
| Nonpartisan | William Dyke (incumbent) | 34,179 | 47.65% | ||
| Plurality | 3,369 | 4.70% | |||
| Total votes | 71,727 | 100.0% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 3, 1974 | |||||
| Democratic | Patrick Lucey (incumbent) Martin J. Schreiber (incumbent) | 628,639 | 53.19% | −1.04% | |
| Republican | William Dyke John M. Alberts | 497,189 | 42.07% | −2.80% | |
| American Independent | William H. Upham Donald D. Hoeft | 33,528 | 2.84% | +2.16% | |
| Independent | Crazy Jim Gary G. Wetzel | 12,107 | 1.02% | ||
| Socialist | William O. Hart Fred Dahir | 5,113 | 0.43% | ||
| Communist | Fred Basset Blair Mary K. Blair | 3,617 | 0.31% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Georgia Cozzini David Hornung | 1,492 | 0.13% | +0.03% | |
| Scattering | 199 | 0.02% | |||
| Plurality | 131,450 | 11.12% | +1.76% | ||
| Total votes | 1,181,884 | 100.0% | -12.01% | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | American Independent nomineeforVice President of the United States 1976 | Succeeded by Eileen Shearer |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Otto Festge | Mayor ofMadison, Wisconsin 1969 – 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by James P. Fiedler | Wisconsin Circuit Court Judgefor theIowa Circuit 1996 – 2016 | Succeeded by Margaret M. Koehler |
| Preceded by Michael J. Rosborough | Chief Judge of the 7th DistrictofWisconsin Circuit Courts 2007 – 2013 | Succeeded by James J. Duvall |