Chester E. Dempsey (July 20, 1896 – October 4, 1969) was an American farmer and politician. Born in the town of

Merton, Wisconsin Merton is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States; before Wisconsin statehood, it was called Warren. The population was 8,277 at the 2020 census. The town surrounds the villages of Chenequa and Merton. The unincorporated communities ...

, Dempsey owned and operated a dairy farm. He served on the

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its median income of $88,985 placed ...

Board of Supervisors and in town government. He served in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from 1935 to 1939, but was defeated in 1938 by Republican William A. Freehoff. He left the Democratic Party in 1940, stating that he was against a third term for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and that as a farmer, "The Republican party is the only party left for me to join." He ran against Freehoff in the 1942

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, losing with 4,260 votes to 4,575 for Freehoff and 1020 for a third candidate. In 1946, he defeated Freehoff in the primary, with 10,075 votes to 8,798. He won the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

, and would serve as a Republican from 1947 until his death on October 4, 1969.WISCONSIN SESSION LAWS VOLUME I
/ref> He was succeeded by fellow Republican

Roger P. Murphy Roger P. Murphy (October 17, 1923 – July 11, 2009) was an American jurist and politician. Born in Lancaster, Wisconsin, Murphy graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison and received his law degree from University of Wisconsin L ...

Notes

1896 births 1969 deaths People from Merton, Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub