Clifford W. "Tiny" Krueger (June 24, 1918 – October 15, 1988) was an American politician, businessman, and circus performer from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served 34 years in the Wisconsin State Senate representing vast multi-county districts in the northern part of the state.
Clifford Krueger | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 12th district | |
| In office January 7, 1957 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Bernard J. Gehrmann |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd H. Kincaid |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 25th district | |
| In office January 6, 1947 – January 3, 1955 | |
| Preceded by | William McNeight |
| Succeeded by | Carl Lauri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 24, 1918 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1988 (aged 70) Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Hepatitis |
| Resting place | Merrill Memorial Park, Merrill, Wisconsin |
| Political party |
|
| Occupation | businessman, circus performer, politician. |
| Nickname | Tiny |
Circus career edit
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Krueger graduated from high school in Merrill, Wisconsin.[1][2] Krueger was in the Sheboygan-based Seils-Sterling Circus performing as the fat-boy weighing 425 pounds.[1][3][4][5][6]
Business and political career edit
Krueger owned a tavern in Merrill, and served on the Merrill Common Council. He was also a member of the Lions Club, and the Farm Bureau.
In 1942, Krueger was the Wisconsin Progressive Party candidate for Wisconsin's 25th State Senate district (having won the Progressive primary election by only twelve votes in a three-way race), losing to Republican William McNeight, with 6512 votes to 11,603 for McNeight and 3,437 for Democrat Donald J. MacCormick. (Republican incumbent Otto Mueller had not been a candidate.)[7]
In 1946, with the Progressive Party having dissolved, he ran in the Republican primary election, defeating McNeight and going on to win the general election against McNeight (running as a write-in candidate) and Socialist former Assemblyman Herman Marth. Krueger drew 16,859 votes, to 7,827 write-in votes McNeight and 601 for Marth.[8] Having defeated two challengers in the 1950 primary, he was re-elected in the general election; but his district was split in the next re-apportionment and his term ended in 1955.[3][9][10][11][1] In 1956, he returned to the Senate from the new 12th District (Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Taylor, and Vilas counties),[12] and would hold that office continuously until his 1983 retirement. He was the Senate Minority Leader for the Republicans in the 1975, 1977, and 1979 sessions, but said that some Republicans never really forgave him for having started as a Progressive.[1][10]
Later life edit
Krueger retired in 1982.[13] He died of hepatitis in 1988 at age 70 in Wausau, Wisconsin.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Ex-State Senator Krueger Dies at 70". Leader Telegram. October 17, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved April 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The Wisconsin Blue Book 1946, p. 37. Biography of Senator Clifford Krueger
- ^ a b Pommer, Matt (October 25, 1988). "Common Man Lost Friend in Clifford 'Tiny' Krueger". Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. p. 4. Retrieved April 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "an Encyclopedia of Novelty & Variety Performers & Showfolk - Show History". www.showhistory.com.
- ^ The Billboard, July 23, 1949, vol. 61, no. 30, p. 62
- ^ "Seils-Sterling Circus".
- ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., ed. The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1944 Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1944; pp. 512, 581
- ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., ed. The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1948 Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1948; pp. 608, 679
- ^ The Wisconsin Blue Book 1946, p. 44 Biography of Senator Clifford Krueger
- ^ a b The Wisconsin Blue Book 1981, p. 37 Biography of Senator Clifford Krueger
- ^ "Clifford Krueger, Wisconsin Historical Society".
- ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., ed. The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1958 Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1958; pp. 671, 776
- ^ a b "Hundreds Attend Krueger Funeral". Wausau Daily Herald. October 19, 1988. p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
