Herman Louis Ekern (December 27, 1872 – December 4, 1954) was an American attorney and progressive Republican politician who served as the

28th 28 (twenty-eight) is the natural number following 27 and preceding 29. In mathematics It is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14. Twenty-eight is the second perfect number - it is the sum of its proper diviso ...

lieutenant governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to ...

, the 25th

attorney general of Wisconsin The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul ...

, and the 42nd

speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and s ...

. He was also one of the founders of

Lutheran Brotherhood Thrivent ( ) is a US Fortune 500 not-for-profit financial services organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Appleton, Wisconsin, and founded by Lutherans. As a member-owned fraternal benefit society, it operates under a chapt ...

Background

Herman Louis Ekern was born in 1872 near Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin. He was the son of Even Ekern and Elizabeth ( Grimsrud) Ekern. He received a law degree from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

in 1894. Following his graduation, he practiced law at

Whitehall, Wisconsin Whitehall is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 1,645 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Trempealeau County. Whitehall is situated on the former Green Bay and Weste ...

in co-partnership wi