James Edward Doyle Jr. (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he narrowly defeated

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

Republican governor Scott McCallum in his first election to the governorship. Although in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Democrats increased their number of governorships, Doyle was the only one of them to unseat a Republican. Prior to the governorship, Doyle served as Wisconsin

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

from 1991 to 2003. As of 2016, he is currently an attorney 'of counsel' in the

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

office of the law firm of

Foley & Lardner Foley & Lardner LLP (often referred to simply as "Foley") is an international law firm founded in 1842. In terms of revenue, it ranked 45th on The American Lawyer's 2025 AmLaw 100 rankings of U.S. law firms, with $1.28 billion gross revenue in 2 ...

and serves on the corporate board of

Epic Systems Epic Systems Corporation is an American privately held healthcare software company based in Verona, Wisconsin. According to the company, hospitals that use its software held medical records of 78% of patients in the United States and over 3% ...

and Exact Sciences.

Early life and education

Jim Doyle was born on November 23, 1945, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the son of Ruth Bachhuber Doyle and James Edward Doyle, who were influential leaders of the post-1946

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...

. Doyle Sr. ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1954 and was appointed as a federal judge in 1965. Ruth Bachhuber Doyle was the first woman from

Dane County Dane County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County, Wiscon ...

to be elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

in 1948. Doyle, who graduated from Madison West High School in 1963, attended

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

for three years, then returned home to Madison to finish his senior year at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. After graduating from college and inspired by

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

's call to public service, Doyle worked as a teacher with his wife, Jessica Doyle in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

as part of the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

from 1967 to 1969. In 1972, Doyle earned his Juris Doctor from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. He then moved to the Navajo Indian Reservation in

Chinle, Arizona Chinle () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The name in Navajo means and is a reference to the location where the water flows out of the Canyon de Chelly. The population was 4,518 at the 2010 United Sta ...

, where he worked as an attorney in a federal legal services office.

Early political career

In 1975, Doyle returned to

, and served three terms as

District Attorney, from 1977 to 1982. After leaving that office, he spent eight years in private practice. Doyle was elected Wisconsin

in 1990, and reelected in 1994 and 1998. Between 1997 and 1998, he served as the president of the

National Association of Attorneys General The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of state and territory attorneys general in the United States which therefore means that the United States Attorney General in the federal government is n ...

. During his twelve years as attorney general, Doyle was considered tough on crime, but not unsympathetic to its causes. He also gained recognition as a result of several successful

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

s against

tobacco companies The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...

in the state.

Campaigns for governor

2002 gubernatorial election

Doyle ran against Republican Scott McCallum, the former

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

who had assumed the office of governor in 2001 after

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 19th United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 in the Presidency of George W. Bush, cabinet of President of the United State ...

left to become

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

in the Bush administration. The 2002 governor's race is considered by some to have been the most negative campaign in the state's history. In response,

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

Ed Thompson (brother of Tommy), publicly critical of the negative campaigning of both

major party A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Major parties hold a significant percentage of the vote in electio ...

candidates, who became a more viable option for some voters, garnered 10% of the vote. On election day, Doyle defeated McCallum by over four percent of the vote, becoming the first Democratic governor in the state since Anthony Earl was defeated in 1986. Doyle was sworn in on January 6, 2003 at the State Capitol in Madison.

2006 gubernatorial election

Doyle defeated Republican Congressman Mark Green in 2006. Doyle topped Green 53% to 45% in a year in which no incumbent Democratic governor, senator, or congressman lost their reelection bid. During the campaign, Doyle was dogged by charges that

Georgia Thompson Georgia L. Thompson (born 1950) is a Wisconsin civil servant who was wrongfully convicted of federal corruption charges in 2006, then exonerated by an appeals court in 2007. Thompson is a Madison, Wisconsin, Madison native, and graduated from M ...

, a state employee, had steered a travel agency contract to a firm whose principals had donated $20,000 to his campaign. Thompson was convicted in federal court in late 2006 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. The conviction was reversed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2007, with one judge calling the U.S. Attorney's case "beyond thin".

Retirement

Doyle raised about $500,000 for a campaign fund in the first half of 2007, leading political analysts to think he would have been financially ready to run for a third term as governor. In a speech to the state Democratic Party convention on July 6, 2007, he said, "And at the end of these four years of working together, who knows, maybe we'll need four more." He had changed his campaign website to JimDoyle2010.com, which had been seen a further indication of a re-election run. However, on August 17, 2009, Doyle announced that he would not seek a third term.

Governor of Wisconsin

Upon Doyle's taking office,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

faced a $3.2 billion deficit. The state ended the year 2003 with a deficit of $2.15 billion. Proposals for new programs were constrained by continued budget-cutting and his decision to honor a campaign pledge to not raise taxes. Facing political pressure, he signed a

property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...

freeze that has resulted in an anticipated decrease in average statewide property taxes in 2003. Doyle's stated priorities were investing in public schools, including the

University of Wisconsin System The University of Wisconsin System is a state public university system in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher-education systems in the country, enrolling more than 160,000 students each year and employing approx ...

; lowering property taxes; regional economic development; transportation reform; and funding of

stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

. On January 2, 2009, Doyle joined the governors of four states in urging the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 state governments to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggled with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession. On May 19, 2009, Doyle proposed a 75-cent-per-pack increase in the

cigarette tax Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting tobacco smoke, smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or released from the mouth, as is generally done with Tobacco pipe, pipes and cigars. The ...

, an "assessment" against oil companies to help pay for road improvements, imposition of

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

on music downloads and

cell phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...

ringtones A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

, and a 1 percent hike in the state income tax for individuals earning above $300,000 a year (approximately 1 percent of the state's population). Doyle served as chair of the

Midwestern Governors Association The Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together the governors of Midwestern states to work cooperatively on public policy issues of significance to the region. The MGA was created ...

in 2007. In October 2007, the Republican-led Assembly, Democratic-controlled

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and Governor Doyle passed a balanced budget that approved transferring $200 million from a

medical malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

fund to the Medical assistance trust fund. In July 2010, the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

ruled that the transfer was illegal and that the state must restore the money to the malpractice fund.

Personal life and family

Jim Doyle is a fifth generation state officeholder in Wisconsin. His mother, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 1940s; his maternal grandfather, Frank E. Bachhuber, represented Marathon County in the Assembly in the 1930s; his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather,

Andrew Bachhuber Andrew Bachhuber (November 30, 1856 – 1922) was an American farmer and politician. Born in LeRoy, Wisconsin to Maximilian J. Bachhuber and Theresia Engle, Bachhuber was a farmer and held several town offices. He served in the Wisconsin State A ...

and Max Bachhuber, represented Dodge County in the Assembly in the 19th century. Doyle is married to Jessica Laird Doyle, niece of former Congressman Melvin Laird, and great-granddaughter of William D. Connor, who was lieutenant governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909, and great-great-granddaughter of Wisconsin State Representative Robert Connor. They have two adopted sons, Gus and Gabe, a daughter-in-law, Carrie, a grandson, Asiah, and granddaughters Lily and Lucy.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General (1990, 1994, 1998)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 11, 1990 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1990 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1994 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General election, November 3, 1998

Wisconsin Governor (2002, 2006)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 10, 2002 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 2002 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 2006

Sources

* Laird, Helen L., 'A Mind of Her Own Helen Connor Laird and Her Family 1888–1982' The University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

References

External links

James Doyle
in the ''Dictionary of Wisconsin History'',

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

Peace Corps biography of Jim Doyle
* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Jim 1945 births Living people American educators American people of German descent Democratic Party governors of Wisconsin District attorneys in Dane County, Wisconsin Harvard Institute of Politics Harvard Law School alumni Catholic politicians from Wisconsin People from Chinle, Arizona Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin 2008 United States presidential electors University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin attorneys general Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin Madison West High School alumni