Robert C. Zimmerman
27th Secretary of State of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 1957 – January 6, 1975
Governor
Preceded byGlenn M. Wise
Succeeded byDoug La Follette
Personal details
Born(1910-01-05)January 5, 1910
Lake, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 1996(1996-01-17) (aged 86)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Dorothy F. McCurdy
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1978)​
Childrennone
Parents
Nickname(s)"Bob", "Zim"
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1941–1943
RankSergeant, USA
Battles/warsWorld War II

Robert Charles Zimmerman (January 5, 1910 – January 17, 1996) was an American government administrator and Republican politician. He was the 27th secretary of state of Wisconsin, serving from 1957 to 1975. His father was Fred R. Zimmerman, the 25th governor of Wisconsin and the 22nd & 24th secretary of state of Wisconsin.[1]

Biography

Robert Zimmerman was born in the town of Lake, in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The town of Lake no longer exists, and was mostly annexed into the city of Milwaukee in 1954. As a child, he moved with his family to Madison, Wisconsin, where his father was serving as secretary of state. He graduated from Madison Central High School.[1]

When his father returned to the secretary of state's office in 1939, he hired Robert as a private secretary. In 1940, he appointed his son assistant secretary of state.[1]

In January 1941, he was drafted into the United States Army, he served about 8 months and was then discharged in September 1941, when men over age 28 were exempted. He returned, briefly, to his job as assistant secretary of state, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was called back to service in the Army.[2] He was promoted to corporal in June 1942,[3] and was later promoted to sergeant. He spent his entire service at various bases in the continental United States, he was discharged due to disability in September 1943.[4]

After returning from the Army, Zimmerman resumed his office as assistant secretary of state. He served in that role until his father's death in December 1954. In the November 1954 election, Robert was largely responsible for campaigning on behalf of his father, who was in poor health for most of the last years of his life after suffering a stroke.[5]

Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr., appointed statistician Glenn M. Wise to fill the 1955–1956 term as secretary of state. In the 1956 election, Zimmerman launched a primary challenge against Wise, and prevailed with 57% of the vote.[6] He went on to win the general election with 58% of the vote.[6] He went on to win re-election eight times, serving eight two-year terms and one four-year term. He announced in January 1974 that he would not run for another term and would retire. Between Zimmerman and his father, they controlled the secretary of state's office for 38 years.[7]

Personal life and family

Robert Zimmerman was the older of two sons born to Fred R. Zimmerman and his wife Amanda (née Freedy) Zimmerman. Fred Zimmerman was a prominent Wisconsin Republican, he served ten terms (20 years) as secretary of state of Wisconsin, and served one term as governor of Wisconsin. He famously clashed with Republican U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy. Robert's younger brother, Frederick, also served in the Army during World War II.[2]

Robert Zimmerman married Dorothy F. McCurdy of Madison, Wisconsin, on October 17, 1941.[8] She died of cancer in 1978. They had no children.[9]

Robert Zimmerman died at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison on January 17, 1996, just after his 86th birthday.[10]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Secretary of State (1956–1970)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1956[6] Primary Sep. 11 Robert C. Zimmerman Republican 248,281 57.49% Glenn M. Wise (inc.) Rep. 183,620 42.51% 431,901 64,661
General Nov. 6 Robert C. Zimmerman Republican 888,706 58.48% Marguerite R. Benson Dem. 630,851 41.52% 1,519,557 257,855
1958[11] General Nov. 4 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 604,177 51.60% Jerome J. Reinke Dem. 566,606 48.40% 1,170,783 37,571
1960[12] General Nov. 8 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 930,547 55.65% William H. Evans Dem. 741,450 44.35% 1,671,997 189,097
1962[13] General Nov. 6 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 687,866 55.88% Gerald Humphrey Dem. 543,166 44.12% 1,231,032 144,700
1964[14] General Nov. 3 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 889,218 54.76% Theodore J. Griswold Dem. 734,503 45.24% 1,623,721 154,715
1966[15] General Nov. 8 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 692,807 61.25% Cletus J. Johnson Dem. 438,330 38.75% 1,131,137 254,477
1968[16] General Nov. 5 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 985,744 61.73% Darryl D. Hanson Dem. 611,194 38.27% 1,596,938 374,550
1970[17] General Nov. 3 Robert C. Zimmerman (inc.) Republican 804,002 61.71% Robert A. Zimmerman Dem. 487,584 37.42% 1,302,949 316,418
George D. Reed Amer. 11,363 0.87%

References

  1. ^ a b c "Zimmerman, Robert C. 1910". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Bob Zimmerman is back in the Army". The Capital Times. March 24, 1942. p. 13. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Zimmerman is made a Corporal". The Capital Times. June 20, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Army Discharges Zimmerman's Son". The Capital Times. September 2, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Fred Zimmerman Dies at 74". The Capital Times. December 14, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1958). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1958 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 663, 770. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Zimmerman Era Ends; Bob Won't Run Again". The Capital Times. January 4, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Bob Zimmerman to marry Friday, resume state job". The Capital Times. October 12, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Dorothy Zimmerman Dies". The Capital Times. August 7, 1978. p. 23. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Oft-elected secretary of state Robert Zimmerman dies, 86". Wisconsin State Journal. January 18, 1996. p. 3. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 651, 693. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1962). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1962 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 787, 863. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1964 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 710, 759. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1966 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1966. pp. 732, 750. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1968 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1968. pp. 704, 720. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1970 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1970. pp. 794, 811. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1971 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1971. pp. 292, 309. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
Party political offices Preceded byFred R. Zimmerman Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970 Succeeded byKent C. Jones Political offices Preceded byGlenn Wise Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1957–1975 Succeeded byDoug La Follette
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