Louis Metzler (February 18, 1864 – October 9, 1929) was an American

audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...

or, bookkeeper and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

politician who served one term as a member of 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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

from

Milwaukee 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, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

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 ...

, representing the 10th

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is 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, and the 45th most populous cou ...

district (the 10th

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of the City of Milwaukee).

Background and career

Metzler was born in Milwaukee County on February 18, 1864, and received his education in public schools. He worked in the auditing department of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway from 1883 to 1890; from 1891 to 1894 held a similar position with the

Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway The Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway or ''Lake Shore Road'' (reporting mark MLS&W) is a former railroad company whose mainline connected Milwaukee, the Upper Peninsula and northwest Wisconsin with connection to Chicago by way of the Chicag ...

, and from 1896 to 1903 worked as an independent bookkeeper.

Public office

In the spring of 1904, Metzler (described in all accounts as a "lifelong Republican") was the Republican nominee for justice of the peace in his district, but lost to the

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

candidate by 425 votes. In the fall

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

of that year, however, he was elected to the Assembly, with 1,411 votes to 1,209 for Socialist Jacob Hunger and 627 for Democrat William Biesel, succeeding fellow Republican

George Rankl George Rankl (February 28, 1867 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – ?) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two c ...

. He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s on

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s and on

enrolled bill In the United States Congress, an enrolled bill is the final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both houses of Congress in identical form. In the United States, enrolled bills are engrossed—prepared in a formally printed copy� ...

s. He did not run for re-election in 1906, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Herman Georgi. He then served five years as deputy

register of deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real property, real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with re ...

in Milwaukee County.

Later life

In 1912, he left politics and opened one of the first five and dime stores in Milwaukee, which he operated for fifteen years. He died on October 9, 1929, at his home on Milwaukee's North Side, leaving a widow Minnie, two daughters and two sons. He was a charter member of Nest 1818 of the

Fraternal Order of Owls The Order of Owls is a secret fraternal order founded in 1904 in South Bend, Indiana, USA, by John W. Talbot. According to its literature, the purposes of the society is "to assist each other in business, to help each other in obtaining employment, ...

."Louis Metzler, Merchant, Dies: Former Legislator Was Lifelong Resident of North Side." ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'' October 10, 1929; p. 3, col. 3

References

1864 births 1929 deaths American auditors Bookkeepers Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Milwaukee {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Republican-1860s-stub