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{{short description|American politician and 31st Governor of Wisconsin}}
{{Infobox person
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}}
|name = Orland Steen Loomis
{{Infobox officeholder
|image =
|name = Orland Loomis
|image_size =
|image = Orland Steen Loomis.jpg
|caption =
|office = [[Governor of Wisconsin|Governor-elect of Wisconsin]]
|birth_date = November 2, 1893
|1namedata = '''''Died before assuming office'''''
|birth_place = [[Mauston, Wisconsin]]
|predecessor = [[Julius P. Heil]]
|death_date = December 7, 1942 (aged 49)
|successor = [[Walter Samuel Goodland]]
|death_cause = [[heart attack]]
|resting_place = Mauston, Wisconsin
|office1 = 28th [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]
|governor1 = [[Philip La Follette]]
|nationality = [[United States|American]]
|term_start1 = January 4, 1937
|known_for = Elected [[Governor of Wisconsin]], but died before taking office
|term_end1 = January 2, 1939
|education = [[law school]]
|predecessor1 = [[James E. Finnegan]]
|occupation = [[Lawyer|Attorney]], [[politician]]
|successor1 = [[John E. Martin]]
|title = [[Governor of Wisconsin|Governor-elect of Wisconsin]]
|state_senate2 = Wisconsin
|predecessor = [[Julius P. Heil]]
|district2 = [[Wisconsin's 31st State Senate district|31st]]
|successor = [[Walter Samuel Goodland]]
|term_start2 = January 5, 1931
|spouse = Florence Marie Ely
|term_end2 = January 7, 1935
|children = three
|predecessor2 = [[Howard Teasdale]]
|successor2 = [[James Earl Leverich]]
|state_assembly3 = Wisconsin
|district3 = [[Juneau County, Wisconsin|Juneau]]
|term_start3 = January 7, 1929
|term_end3 = January 5, 1931
|predecessor3 = Archibald Telfer
|successor3 = [[Ben Tremain]]
|party = [[Wisconsin Progressive Party|Wisconsin Progressive]] (1934–1942)<br />[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] (before 1934)
|birth_name = Orland Steen Loomis
|birth_date = {{birth date|1893|11|2}}
|birth_place = [[Mauston, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1942|12|7|1893|11|2}}
|death_place = [[Madison, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|spouse = Florence Ely
|children = 3
|education = [[University of Wisconsin, Madison]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
|allegiance = [[United States]]
|branch = [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears = 1918–1919
|rank = [[First lieutenant#United States|First Lieutenant]]
|unit = [[American Expeditionary Forces]]
|battles = [[World War I]]
}}
}}
'''Orland Steen "Spike" Loomis''' (November 2, 1893{{spnd}}December 7, 1942) was an American lawyer and progressive politician from [[Juneau County, Wisconsin]]. He was elected to be the 31st [[Governor of Wisconsin]] in 1942, but died before taking office. He previously served as the 28th [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]. He was elected as Attorney General and Governor running on the [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]] ticket, but had previously served in the State Senate and Assembly as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS9999 |title= Historical Essay - Loomis, Orland Steen 1893 - 1942 |website= [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>


==Biography==
'''Orland Steen Loomis''' (November 2, 1893 &ndash; December 7, 1942) was an [[United States|American]] lawyer and governor-elect of [[Wisconsin]]. He was born in [[Mauston, Wisconsin]] and was a member of the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924)|Progressive Party]].
Orland Loomis was born in [[Mauston, Wisconsin]]. He attended [[Ripon College (Wisconsin)|Ripon College]] and then received his law degree from the [[University of Wisconsin Law School]] in 1917. He joined the [[United States Army]] in the midst of [[World War I]] and was stationed in France with the [[American Expeditionary Forces]].<ref name="%253A0">[http://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=EventExt&ID=34391 togetherweserved.com – 1LT Orland Steen Loomis]. Retrieved August 6, 2013</ref> After the war, he returned to Mauston to practice law, and also served as the city attorney from 1922 to 1931. He was elected to the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] in 1928 and the [[Wisconsin State Senate]] in 1930, running on the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] ticket.


Loomis received his law degree from the [[University of Wisconsin Law School]] in 1917. He was stationed in France during [[World War I]], after which he returned to Mauston to practice law, serving as the city attorney from 1922 to 1931. He was elected to the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] in 1928 and the [[Wisconsin State Senate]] in 1930. From 1935 to 1937 Loomis was director of the [[Rural Utilities Service|Rural Electrification Administration]] in Wisconsin. He was then elected [[List of Attorneys General of Wisconsin|Attorney General]] of [[Wisconsin]], serving from 1937 to 1939.
In 1934, he joined the new [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]], along with many other progressive Republicans. Rather than running for re-election in the Senate in [[1934 Wisconsin Senate election|1934]], he ran for the Progressive nomination for [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]], but fell 10,000 votes short in the [[Primary election|primary]].<ref name="1935elex"/> Following his defeat, he accepted an appointment as the state director of the [[Rural Utilities Service|Rural Electrification Administration]], and served in that role for two years. He ran again for Attorney General in 1936, and this time won the nomination and the general election.<ref name="1937elex"/> He served as Attorney General from 1937 through 1939, but was defeated running for re-election in the 1938 general election.<ref name="1940elex"/>


After narrowly losing the 1940 election for [[List of Governors of Wisconsin|Governor of Wisconsin]] as a [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924)|Progressive]], Loomis ran again in 1942, defeating the incumbent Governor [[Julius Heil]]. He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office, and the Republican [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Walter Samuel Goodland]] served all of Loomis's term as [[acting governor]].<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=2771 Orland S. Loomis, WHi-2771<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In 1940, he ran for [[Governor of Wisconsin]], challenging the Republican incumbent [[Julius Heil]]. He fell 12,000 votes short in the [[1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|general election]]. He ran again in 1942, and this time [[1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|defeated]] Heil by over 100,000 votes. He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office, and the Republican [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Walter Samuel Goodland]] served all of Loomis's term as [[acting governor]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM2771 |title= Painting - Orland S. Loomis |website= [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>


==Personal life and legacy==
Orland Steen Loomis was buried in Mauston. Loomis Road ([[Highway 36 (Wisconsin)|WIS 36]]) in [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Milwaukee County]] is named after him.
Loomis married Florence Marie Ely on June 22, 1918. They had three children. Orland Steen Loomis and his wife are buried in Mauston.


In 1943, the [[Liberty ship|Liberty Ship]] SS ''Orland Loomis'' was named after him.<ref name="%253A0" />
Loomis married Florence Marie Ely on June 22, 1918. They had three children.


Loomis Road ([[Wisconsin Highway 36]]) in [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Milwaukee County]] is named after him.
==Notes==

==Electoral history==
===Wisconsin Assembly (1928)===
{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Assembly, Juneau District Election, 1928<ref name="1929bio">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/VXBBLDIOJOQ268I |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 |year= 1929 |publisher= Wisconsin State Printing Board |editor-last1= Anderson |editor-first1= William J. |editor-last2= Anderson |editor-first2= William A. |chapter= Members of the Legislature |page= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AVXBBLDIOJOQ268I/full/A7S4CM72G7HXIO9D 553] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 6, 1928'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 4,196
|percentage = 73.60%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Robert Timbers
|votes = 1,505
|percentage = 26.40%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 2,691
|percentage = 47.20%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 5,701
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +57.92%
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no swing
|winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}

===Wisconsin Senate (1930)===

{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 31st District Election, 1930<ref name="1931elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/ABWTCD5E6MWIC8O |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 |year= 1931 |publisher= Wisconsin State Printing Board |chapter= Parties and Elections |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AABWTCD5E6MWIC8O/full/APFFOLEOWYOLUC8I 567], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AABWTCD5E6MWIC8O/full/A6FJAO7P7KRH628J 568] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''Republican Primary, September 1930'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 9,030
|percentage = 56.42%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Robert B. Wood
|votes = 4,153
|percentage = 25.95%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = [[H. W. Barker|Henry W. Barker]]
|votes = 1,791
|percentage = 11.19%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Ernest T. Wyatt
|votes = 1,031
|percentage = 6.44%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 4,877
|percentage = 30.47%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 16,005
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 4, 1930'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 9,940
|percentage = 96.62%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Prohibition Party (United States)
|candidate = A. C. Papst
|votes = 348
|percentage = 3.38%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 9,592
|percentage = 93.23%
|change = -5.62%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 10,288
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +2.92%
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no swing
|winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}

===Wisconsin Attorney General (1934, 1936, 1938)===

{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1934<ref name="1935elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/PK3IJRHBGDIWA8L |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1935 |year= 1935 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |chapter= Parties and Elections |page= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/APK3IJRHBGDIWA8L/full/ANYBT5AB44WJEY8E 547] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''Progressive Primary, September 1934'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Fred M. Wylie
|votes = 53,643
|percentage = 39.29%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 43,260
|percentage = 31.68%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Walter A. Graunke
|votes = 39,629
|percentage = 29.03%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 10,383
|percentage = 30.47%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 136,532
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1936<ref name="1937elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/XHRYO3YEVDUIK8X |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1937 |year= 1937 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |chapter= Parties and Elections |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AXHRYO3YEVDUIK8X/full/AYFETPTXIPUBN38U 351] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''Progressive Primary, September 1936'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 90,920
|percentage = 57.85%
|change = +26.17%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = [[William H. Markham]]
|votes = 66,240
|percentage = 42.15%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 24,680
|percentage = 15.70%
|change = +8.10%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 157,160
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +15.11%
}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 3, 1936'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 394,252
|percentage = 36.10%
|change = +1.02%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = [[James E. Finnegan]] (incumbent)
|votes = 353,642
|percentage = 32.38%
|change = -2.95%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Herman C. Runge
|votes = 339,502
|percentage = 31.09%
|change = +8.43%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Socialist Labor Party of America
|candidate = Abe Fisher
|votes = 4,691
|percentage = 0.43%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 40,610
|percentage = 3.72%
|change = +3.47%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 1,092,087
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +26.28%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1938<ref name="1940elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/5YLAAJEI53TTB8Q |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1940 |year= 1940 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |editor-last1= Ohm |editor-first1= Howard F. |editor-last2= Bryham |editor-first2= Leone G. |chapter= Parties and Elections |page= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A5YLAAJEI53TTB8Q/full/AB5XESJ4ZCOE3N8K 610] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 8, 1938'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = [[John E. Martin]]
|votes = 431,678
|percentage = 48.04%
|change = +16.96%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis (incumbent)
|votes = 316,657
|percentage = 35.24%
|change = -0.86%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = [[James E. Finnegan]]
|votes = 339,502
|percentage = 16.52%
|change = -15.86%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Socialist Labor Party of America
|candidate = Adolf Wiggert
|votes = 1,758
|percentage = 0.20%
|change = -0.23%
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 115,021
|percentage = 12.80%
|change = +9.08%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 898,519
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = -17.72%
}}
{{Election box end}}

===Wisconsin Governor (1940, 1942)===

{{Election box begin | title=[[1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1940]]<ref name="1942elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/GPUOJWPI5SXM38W |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942 |year= 1942 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |editor-last1= Ohm |editor-first1= Howard F. |editor-last2= Bryham |editor-first2= Leone G. |chapter= Parties and Elections |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AGPUOJWPI5SXM38W/full/AQM4H77HCRYVLG8X 578], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AGPUOJWPI5SXM38W/full/AXKK7O3IXZXPVA8Y 656] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''Progressive Primary, September 1940'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 50,699
|percentage = 33.05%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Harold E. Stafford
|votes = 41,311
|percentage = 26.93%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = [[Philip Nelson (Wisconsin politician)|Philip E. Nelson]]
|votes = 24,485
|percentage = 15.96%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = [[Paul Alfonsi|Paul R. Alfonsi]]
|votes = 22,531
|percentage = 14.69%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = [[Henry Gunderson|Henry A. Gunderson]]
|votes = 14,372
|percentage = 9.37%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 9,388
|percentage = 6.12%
|change = -54.30%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 153,398
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = -9.72%
}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 5, 1940'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = [[Julius P. Heil]] (incumbent)
|votes = 558,678
|percentage = 40.67%
|change = -14.72%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 546,436
|percentage = 39.78%
|change = +3.77%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = [[Francis E. McGovern]]
|votes = 264,985
|percentage = 19.29%
|change = +11.30%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Communist Party USA
|candidate = [[Fred Basset Blair]]
|votes = 2,340
|percentage = 0.17%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Socialist Labor Party of America
|candidate = [[Louis Fisher]]
|votes = 1,158
|percentage = 0.08%
|change = -0.06%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = ''Scattering''
|votes = 157
|percentage = 0.01%
|change = +0.01%
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 12,242
|percentage = 0.89%
|change = -18.50%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 1,373,754
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +39.96%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=[[1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1942]]<ref name="1944elex">{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/5MPC2C75NJZEK8Z |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book 1944 |year= 1944 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |editor-last1= Ohm |editor-first1= Howard F. |editor-last2= Kuehn |editor-first2= Hazel L. |chapter= Parties and Elections |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A5MPC2C75NJZEK8Z/full/A4ZGCMMM6YSU2D8K 504], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A5MPC2C75NJZEK8Z/full/A24O7BDODRNZAV8D 572] |accessdate= March 21, 2023 }}</ref>}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 3, 1942'''
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wisconsin Progressive Party
|candidate = Orland S. Loomis
|votes = 397,664
|percentage = 49.65%
|change = +9.87%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = [[Julius P. Heil]] (incumbent)
|votes = 291,945
|percentage = 36.45%
|change = -4.22%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = William C. Sullivan
|votes = 98,153
|percentage = 12.25%
|change = -7.04%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Socialist Party of America
|candidate = [[Frank Zeidler]]
|votes = 11,295
|percentage = 1.41%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Communist Party USA
|candidate = [[Fred Basset Blair]]
|votes = 1,092
|percentage = 0.14%
|change = -0.03%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Socialist Labor Party of America
|candidate = [[Georgia Cozzini]]
|votes = 490
|percentage = 0.06%
|change = -0.02%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = ''Scattering''
|votes = 346
|percentage = 0.04%
|change = +0.03%
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 105,719
|percentage = 13.20%
|change = +12.31%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 800,985
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = -41.69%
}}
{{Election box end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1571& Orland S. Loomis, Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin State Historical Society]
*[https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS9999 Orland S. Loomis] at [[Wisconsin Historical Society]]


{{s-start}}
<!--Some corrections from his son: He was not elected district attorney, but was appointed a special prosecutor in the trial of the Sheriff who was accused of murder of the district attorney. -->
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James E. Finnegan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]|years=1937–1939}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John E. Martin]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Philip La Follette]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Wisconsin Progressive Party|Progressive]] nominee for [[Governor of Wisconsin]]|years=[[1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|1940]], [[1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|1942]]}}
{{s-aft|after=Alexander Benz}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Julius P. Heil]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Wisconsin|Governor-elect of Wisconsin]]|years=1942}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Walter Samuel Goodland]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Wisconsin}}
{{Wisconsin Attorneys General}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Loomis, Orland Steen
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 2, 1893
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Mauston, Wisconsin]]
| DATE OF DEATH = December 7, 1942
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Orland Steen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Orland Steen}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:Governors of Wisconsin]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction]]
[[Category:Burials in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly]]
[[Category:Elected officials who died without taking their seats]]
[[Category:People from Juneau County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Wisconsin State Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:People from Mauston, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin&ndash;Madison alumni]]
[[Category:Progressive Party (1924) state governors of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Army officers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Progressives (1924)]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Progressives (1924)]]
[[Category:American military personnel from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Republican Party Wisconsin state senators]]

Latest revision as of 02:55, 17 April 2024

Orland Loomis
Governor-elect of Wisconsin
Died before assuming office
Preceded byJulius P. Heil
Succeeded byWalter Samuel Goodland
28th Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office
January 4, 1937 – January 2, 1939
GovernorPhilip La Follette
Preceded byJames E. Finnegan
Succeeded byJohn E. Martin
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 31st district
In office
January 5, 1931 – January 7, 1935
Preceded byHoward Teasdale
Succeeded byJames Earl Leverich
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Juneau district
In office
January 7, 1929 – January 5, 1931
Preceded byArchibald Telfer
Succeeded byBen Tremain
Personal details
Born
Orland Steen Loomis

(1893-11-02)November 2, 1893
Mauston, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 1942(1942-12-07) (aged 49)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyWisconsin Progressive (1934–1942)
Republican (before 1934)
SpouseFlorence Ely
Children3
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison (LLB)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1918–1919
RankFirst Lieutenant
UnitAmerican Expeditionary Forces
Battles/warsWorld War I

Orland Steen "Spike" Loomis (November 2, 1893 – December 7, 1942) was an American lawyer and progressive politician from Juneau County, Wisconsin. He was elected to be the 31st Governor of Wisconsin in 1942, but died before taking office. He previously served as the 28th Attorney General of Wisconsin. He was elected as Attorney General and Governor running on the Wisconsin Progressive Party ticket, but had previously served in the State Senate and Assembly as a Republican.[1]

Biography[edit]

Orland Loomis was born in Mauston, Wisconsin. He attended Ripon College and then received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1917. He joined the United States Army in the midst of World War I and was stationed in France with the American Expeditionary Forces.[2] After the war, he returned to Mauston to practice law, and also served as the city attorney from 1922 to 1931. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1928 and the Wisconsin State Senate in 1930, running on the Republican Party ticket.

In 1934, he joined the new Wisconsin Progressive Party, along with many other progressive Republicans. Rather than running for re-election in the Senate in 1934, he ran for the Progressive nomination for Attorney General of Wisconsin, but fell 10,000 votes short in the primary.[3] Following his defeat, he accepted an appointment as the state director of the Rural Electrification Administration, and served in that role for two years. He ran again for Attorney General in 1936, and this time won the nomination and the general election.[4] He served as Attorney General from 1937 through 1939, but was defeated running for re-election in the 1938 general election.[5]

In 1940, he ran for Governor of Wisconsin, challenging the Republican incumbent Julius Heil. He fell 12,000 votes short in the general election. He ran again in 1942, and this time defeated Heil by over 100,000 votes. He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office, and the Republican Lieutenant Governor Walter Samuel Goodland served all of Loomis's term as acting governor.[6]

Personal life and legacy[edit]

Loomis married Florence Marie Ely on June 22, 1918. They had three children. Orland Steen Loomis and his wife are buried in Mauston.

In 1943, the Liberty Ship SS Orland Loomis was named after him.[2]

Loomis Road (Wisconsin Highway 36) in Milwaukee County is named after him.

Electoral history[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly (1928)[edit]

Wisconsin Assembly, Juneau District Election, 1928[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1928
Republican Orland S. Loomis 4,196 73.60%
Democratic Robert Timbers 1,505 26.40%
Plurality 2,691 47.20%
Total votes 5,701 100.0% +57.92%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate (1930)[edit]

Wisconsin Senate, 31st District Election, 1930[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Primary, September 1930
Republican Orland S. Loomis 9,030 56.42%
Republican Robert B. Wood 4,153 25.95%
Republican Henry W. Barker 1,791 11.19%
Republican Ernest T. Wyatt 1,031 6.44%
Plurality 4,877 30.47%
Total votes 16,005 100.0%
General Election, November 4, 1930
Republican Orland S. Loomis 9,940 96.62%
Prohibition A. C. Papst 348 3.38%
Plurality 9,592 93.23% -5.62%
Total votes 10,288 100.0% +2.92%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Attorney General (1934, 1936, 1938)[edit]

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1934[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Primary, September 1934
Progressive Fred M. Wylie 53,643 39.29%
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 43,260 31.68%
Progressive Walter A. Graunke 39,629 29.03%
Plurality 10,383 30.47%
Total votes 136,532 100.0%
Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1936[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Primary, September 1936
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 90,920 57.85% +26.17%
Progressive William H. Markham 66,240 42.15%
Plurality 24,680 15.70% +8.10%
Total votes 157,160 100.0% +15.11%
General Election, November 3, 1936
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 394,252 36.10% +1.02%
Democratic James E. Finnegan (incumbent) 353,642 32.38% -2.95%
Republican Herman C. Runge 339,502 31.09% +8.43%
Socialist Labor Abe Fisher 4,691 0.43%
Plurality 40,610 3.72% +3.47%
Total votes 1,092,087 100.0% +26.28%
Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1938[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1938
Republican John E. Martin 431,678 48.04% +16.96%
Progressive Orland S. Loomis (incumbent) 316,657 35.24% -0.86%
Democratic James E. Finnegan 339,502 16.52% -15.86%
Socialist Labor Adolf Wiggert 1,758 0.20% -0.23%
Plurality 115,021 12.80% +9.08%
Total votes 898,519 100.0% -17.72%

Wisconsin Governor (1940, 1942)[edit]

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1940[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Primary, September 1940
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 50,699 33.05%
Progressive Harold E. Stafford 41,311 26.93%
Progressive Philip E. Nelson 24,485 15.96%
Progressive Paul R. Alfonsi 22,531 14.69%
Progressive Henry A. Gunderson 14,372 9.37%
Plurality 9,388 6.12% -54.30%
Total votes 153,398 100.0% -9.72%
General Election, November 5, 1940
Republican Julius P. Heil (incumbent) 558,678 40.67% -14.72%
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 546,436 39.78% +3.77%
Democratic Francis E. McGovern 264,985 19.29% +11.30%
Communist Fred Basset Blair 2,340 0.17%
Socialist Labor Louis Fisher 1,158 0.08% -0.06%
Scattering 157 0.01% +0.01%
Plurality 12,242 0.89% -18.50%
Total votes 1,373,754 100.0% +39.96%
Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1942[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 3, 1942
Progressive Orland S. Loomis 397,664 49.65% +9.87%
Republican Julius P. Heil (incumbent) 291,945 36.45% -4.22%
Democratic William C. Sullivan 98,153 12.25% -7.04%
Socialist Frank Zeidler 11,295 1.41%
Communist Fred Basset Blair 1,092 0.14% -0.03%
Socialist Labor Georgia Cozzini 490 0.06% -0.02%
Scattering 346 0.04% +0.03%
Plurality 105,719 13.20% +12.31%
Total votes 800,985 100.0% -41.69%

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Historical Essay - Loomis, Orland Steen 1893 - 1942". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b togetherweserved.com – 1LT Orland Steen Loomis. Retrieved August 6, 2013
  3. ^ a b "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1935 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1935. p. 547. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1937 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1937. pp. 351. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Ohm, Howard F.; Bryham, Leone G., eds. (1940). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1940 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 610. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  6. ^ "Painting - Orland S. Loomis". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Anderson, William J.; Anderson, William A., eds. (1929). "Members of the Legislature". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. p. 553. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 (Report). Wisconsin State Printing Board. 1931. pp. 567, 568. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Bryham, Leone G., eds. (1942). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 578, 656. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1944). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1944 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 504, 572. Retrieved March 21, 2023.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Wisconsin
1937–1939 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Progressive nominee for Governor of Wisconsin
1940, 1942 		Succeeded by
Alexander Benz
Political offices
Preceded by Governor-elect of Wisconsin
1942 		Succeeded by
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