Charles Joseph Kersten (May 26, 1902 – October 31, 1972) was a U.S. Representative from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1954,' Biographical Sketch of Charles J. Kersten, pg. 17 Born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Kersten graduated from Marquette University College of Law,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, in 1925 and was admitted to the bar the same year. He commenced the practice of law in

, in 1928, serving as first assistant district attorney of Milwaukee County from 1937-1943 under District Attorney

Herbert Steffes Herbert J. Steffes (June 18, 1904 – July 19, 1975) was an American jurist who served as Milwaukee County District Attorney from 1936 to 1944 and as a criminal court judge in Milwaukee from 1944 to 1974. Life and career Born in Milwaukee, Stef ...

. Kersten was elected as a Republican to the

Eightieth Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947, ...

(January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949) as the representative of

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson counti ...

. He was a close friend of fellow freshman Congressman

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948 to the

Eighty-first Congress The 81st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 194 ...

. Kersten was elected to the Eighty-second and Eighty-third Congresses (January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1955) once again representing Wisconsin's 5th district. He served as chairman of the United States House Select Committee to Investigate Communist Aggression and the Forced Incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R. during the Eighty-third Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1954, and failed in his bid for renomination in 1956, as of 2018 making him the last Republican to represent Milwaukee in the U.S. Congress. In between these campaigns Kersten briefly served in the Eisenhower administration under

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

as White House consultant on psychological warfare (1955–1956). He then resumed his law practice, remaining active in anticommunist circles until his death on October 31, 1972, in

. He was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery.

Sources

External links

Charles J. Kersten Papers
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kersten, Charles Joseph 1902 births 1972 deaths Politicians from Chicago Politicians from Milwaukee Marquette University Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians Catholics from Illinois Catholics from Wisconsin 20th-century American lawyers