Theodore Charles Froemming (May 11, 1873October 2, 1929) was an American building contractor and Republican politician from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 ...

. He represented northern

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 ...

in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

during the 1905 and 1907 sessions.

Biography

Theodore Froemming was born in

, in May 1873. He was educated in a parochial school, then graduated from the Milwaukee Business University and attended

Concordia University Wisconsin Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is organized into ...

. He worked as a building contractor and also managed a stone quarry. He became active with the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative politics, conservative and Right-wing populism, populist political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP) ...

and in 1898 he was elected to the Republican county committee in Milwaukee. He was then elected to the Milwaukee City Council in 1900 and re-elected in 1902; he represented the 21st ward, which then comprised a segment of the city's north side, on the west bank of the Milwaukee River. In 1904, he was the Republican nominee for

in the 4th Senate district—comprising roughly the northern quarter of Milwaukee County. At the general election, he prevailed with 43% of the vote in a three-way race. He was the youngest member of the State Senate in 1905, when he was 32. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1908. At the time of his election, the state Republican Party was enduring a bitter split between the progressive wing led by Governor

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...

and the conservative or "stalwart" wing. La Follotte's faction held 16 Senate seats (one less than needed for a majority), and Froemming was one of a handful in the middle who were courted by both factions. After a series of compromises, Froemming sided with the La Follette faction.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1904)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1904

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froemming, Theodore C. 1873 births 1929 deaths Businesspeople from Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee Milwaukee Common Council members Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature