Lyall T. Beggs (November 9, 1899 – May 14, 1973) was a past commander in chief of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

and 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Life and education

Beggs was born in

Plainfield, Wisconsin Plainfield is a village in Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The village is located almost entirely within the Town of Plainfield. A tiny portion extends into adjacent Town of Oasis. The population was 924 at the 2020 census. Histor ...

in 1899. He attended Cameron High School. Beggs was a member of the Coast Artillery and he quickly became a non-commissioned officer. Beggs ended his

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

career in 1919. He returned to Wisconsin where he graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's and master's degrees. A ...

. He went to law school at

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. His father was Charles A. Beggs who also served in the Wisconsin Assembly. Beggs was an administrator in probate court. Beggs died in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

Career

Beggs was a justice of the peace from 1927 to 1935. From 1935 to 1939 he served as the

Dane County Dane County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County, Wiscon ...

District Attorney. Beggs served in the Wisconsin State Assembly 1941-1947 and was a 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 ...

, serving as the Assembly Floor Leader in 1943 and 1945. Upon the dissolution of the Progressives, he joined the Republican Party and served one term as a member of that party, but was not a candidate for re-election in 1948. In the VFW, Beggs became National Junior Vice Commander then Senior Vice Commander and finally became Commander-In-Chief. In his role as Commander, Beggs also worked as a recruiter with the VFW.''Wisconsin Blue Book'', 1946, Biographical Sketch of Lyall Beggs, p. 41.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beggs, Lyall T. 1899 births 1973 deaths Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin People from Plainfield, Wisconsin Military personnel from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin Progressives (1924) District attorneys in Wisconsin Wisconsin state court judges Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century Wisconsin state court judges National commanders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature