Herbert J. Steffes (June 18, 1904 – July 19, 1975) was an American jurist who served as

Milwaukee County District Attorney The Milwaukee County District Attorney is a state constitutional officer responsible for criminal prosecution in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The current district attorney is Kent Lovern, who has served since 2025. History The first Milwaukee ...

from 1936 to 1944 and as a criminal court judge in Milwaukee from 1944 to 1974.

Life and career

Born in Milwaukee, Steffes attended

South Division High School South Division High School is a public high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. South Division is part of the Milwaukee Public Schools. History The building was built after an 1890 motion by the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, as a second Mi ...

before graduating from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

and the

Marquette University Law School Marquette University Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is one of two law schools in Wisconsin and the only private law school in the state. Founded in 1892 as the Mil ...

. He worked as a private practice attorney in Milwaukee and was a founding member of the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political third party that briefly held a major role in Wisconsin politics under the two sons of the late Robert M. La Follette. It was on the political left wing, and it sometimes cooperated wit ...

in 1934. In 1936, Steffes challenged

William Zabel on a joint Progressive–

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

ticket. Zabel was reelected but died fifteen minutes prior to the closing of polls on Election Day, prompting Progressive Governor

Philip La Follette Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897August 18, 1965) was an American politician who served during the 1930s as the 27th and 29th governor of Wisconsin. La Follette first served as a Republican from 1931 until 1933, where he lost renomination in ...

to appoint Steffes as district attorney. Although Steffes earned more votes than any other Progressive candidate when he was elected to a full term in 1938, he angered the party establishment by prosecuting LaFollette's executive secretary, Thomas Duncan, on charges of vehicular manslaughter. In 1940, Steffes broke from the Progressives and was reelected on the Republican ticket; he was again reelected as a Republican in 1942. While district attorney, Steffes employed Charles J. Kersten as a prosecutor; Kersten was later elected United States Representative for

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 County, Wisconsin, W ...

. In 1944, Republican

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Walter Goodland appointed Steffes to the Milwaukee County Municipal Court, the county's felony trial court. In 1955, Steffes was nominated to a judgeship on the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (in case citations, E.D. Wis.) is a federal trial court of limited jurisdiction. The court is under the auspices of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ...

by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

but withdrew his name from consideration. While his nomination was pending, Steffes was reelected to the Municipal Court, handily defeating Democratic District Attorney William J. McCauley. Steffes served on the court until 1962, when it was merged with the criminal division of the

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

Circuit Court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

; he served as a circuit judge until his retirement in 1974. He died of a

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain ...

one year later, on July 19, 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steffes, Herbert 1904 births 1975 deaths Politicians from Milwaukee People from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Marquette University alumni Marquette University Law School alumni Wisconsin Progressives (1924) 20th-century Wisconsin politicians Wisconsin Republicans Milwaukee County district attorneys Wisconsin circuit court judges 20th-century Wisconsin state court judges South Division High School alumni