William N. Belter (July 7, 1926 – December 12, 1999) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He represented Green Lake and Waushara counties in 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 ...

from 1953 to 1957.

Biography

Born in

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau ...

, Belter graduated from high school in Wautoma, Wisconsin. He then received his bachelor's degree from

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and his law degree from

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

. He practiced law in Wautoma, Wisconsin. He was a real estate broker and a bank director and then president. Belter was a justice of the peace and was district attorney for

Waushara County, Wisconsin Waushara County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,520. Its county seat is Wautoma. Waushara County is located in central Wisconsin, about north of Madison. History Waushara Co ...

from 1968 to 1977. He was also the attorney for Ed Gein during his 1968 trial in Waushara County for the murder of Bernice Worden. (Judge Robert H Gollmar 1968). Belter also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican from 1953 to 1957, after unsuccessfully seeking the Republican nomination for Assembly in that district in 1948 and 1950. He was defeated in the 1956 Republican assembly primary. In 1982, when it seemed no other Republican was willing to challenge incumbent Bronson La Follette, the party attempted to recruit Belter to run for Wisconsin Attorney General. He consented to the run, but the Party ultimately did not collect enough signatures to put his name on the ballot, and he received a small number of write-in votes in the election.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1948-1956)

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Wisconsin Attorney General (1982)

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belter, William 1926 births 1999 deaths Politicians from Wausau, Wisconsin People from Wautoma, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers Businesspeople from Wisconsin County officials in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature