Russel R. Weisensel (December 23, 1931 – January 5, 2013) 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 constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Biography

Weisensel was born on December 23, 1931, in

Columbus, Wisconsin Columbus is a city in Columbia and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census, all of which resided in Columbia County. Columbus is located about northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River. Th ...

. He attended the

University of Wisconsin-Extension A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a co ...

program. While in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Weisensel supported bills for the disabled. He became a wheelchair user as a result of a farm accident on October 7, 1961. Weisensel died on January 5, 2013, at St. Mary's Hospital 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

Weisensel was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in November 1966 as a Republican, when he defeated

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 ...

Paul Villar and Jerome L. Blaska, who ran as an Independent. In November 1968, he defeated

Harland E. Everson to retain his seat. In November 1970, he lost to Harland E. Everson, thus ending his career in the State Assembly. He worked for the Wisconsin

Agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

Council and served as its First Executive Director until his retirement in 2000. Weisensel was a lifelong agricultural champion. As an advocate for physically and mentally handicapped persons he established groundbreaking accommodations and services. Weisensel was recognized as the Wisconsin Handicapped Person of the Year in 1968; the

University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the ...

Honorary Recognition in 1993; and the

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 ...

Honorary Recognition in 1997. Weisensel's wife Mary (née: Devine) ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican in November 1980, however she was defeated by Democratic incumbent, Thomas A. Loftus.

Other

On May 20, 2009, a road was named in their honor in the Town of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

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

. The road, named Russ & Mary Court, is located off Twin Lane Road, just south of Hwy. 151.May 28, 2009 edition of The Star, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weisensel, Russel People from Columbus, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1931 births 2013 deaths 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature