Julius Peter Heil (July 24, 1876November 30, 1949) was an American politician and the 30th

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 1939 to 1943.

Early life

Heil, a Jewish immigrant to the United States, was born in Düssmund an der Mosel,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. As a child, he lived with his family on a farm in

New Berlin, Wisconsin New Berlin () is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 40,451 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Pronunciation Area residents put the accent on ...

, and attended school until he was twelve.

Career

Heil became qualified as an expert welder and traveled extensively in South America, installing welded steel track for streetcars. In 1901, he founded the Heil Company in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, which fabricated steel tank cars. In 1933, he was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to head the state advisory board for the National Recovery Administration. Winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1938, Heil went on to defeat his Progressive opponent-incumbent Philip F. La Follette. As governor, he created the Department of Motor Vehicles out of five existing agencies and consolidated welfare and institutional programs under a single Department of Public Welfare. A controversial innovation was his creation of a Division of Departmental Research, designed to achieve greater efficiency in state administration. The United States entered World War II during Heil's second term, and a State Guard was created to replace the National Guard, which had been called to active duty. Often known as "Julius the Just," as governor, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that Heil was known for clowning and silly antics. He was re-elected in 1940, but lost to Progressive

Orland Steen Loomis Orland Steen "Spike" Loomis (November 2, 1893December 7, 1942) was an American lawyer and progressive politician from Juneau County, Wisconsin. He was elected to be the 31st governor of Wisconsin in 1942, but died before taking office. He previo ...

in 1942, according to the ''New York Times'', because of his unpopular labor record. After losing a third term as governor, Heil became president and later chairman of the board of the Heil Company. He toured the country to promote

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 ...

's dairy products.

Death

Heil died of heart failure in Milwaukee on November 30, 1949, (age 73 years, 129 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Wisconsin Memorial Park, Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Family life

Son of Frank and Barbara Heil, he married Elizabeth Conrad on June 4, 1900, and they had one son, Joseph F. Heil.

Election results

*1940 Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary results: Julius Heil, 223,819; James K. Robinson 106,570 *1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial results: Julius Heil (R) defeated F.E. McGovern (D) and Orland S. Loomis *1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial results: Orland Loomis (Progressive) (R) defeated Julius Heil (R) and Dr. W. C. Sullivan

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Heil, Julius 1876 births 1949 deaths 19th-century German Jews Businesspeople from Wisconsin Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States Jewish American people in Wisconsin politics Jewish state governors of the United States People from New Berlin, Wisconsin Politicians from Waukesha County, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee Republican Party governors of Wisconsin