Fred R. Zimmerman

Fred R. Zimmerman

Fred R. Zimmerman (born November 20, 1880 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , † December 14, 1954 ibid) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1927 to 1929 the 25th governor of the state of Wisconsin.

Early years

Fred Zimmerman attended elementary schools in Milwaukee. He then worked in various professions as an assistant in order to be able to help his family financially after the death of his father. For example, he sold newspapers, milk and later leather goods. Then he was employed in the accounting department of a lumbering company in Milwaukee. Eventually he became a division director at Nash Motors . Between 1909 and 1910 Zimmerman was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly . He served as Secretary of State of Wisconsin from 1923 and 1925 before being elected as an independent candidate for new governor in 1926 after part of his party withdrew his support.

Governor of wisconsin

Zimmerman took up his new office on January 3, 1927. During his two-year tenure, Wisconsin first introduced motor vehicle driver's licenses. A permanent register of voters was established in cities with more than 5,000 inhabitants. Wisconsin also benefited from the general economic upturn at that time. In 1928 Zimmerman was not re-elected. Therefore, he had to resign on January 7, 1929 from his office.

After his tenure as governor, Zimmerman remained politically active. President Herbert Hoover sent him as the official representative for the Spanish-American Exhibition in Seville . In 1934 he applied unsuccessfully to return to the office of governor. An attempt to be elected to Congress also failed. For this he was again Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1938 . He held this office from 1939 until his death in 1954. He was married to Amanda Freedy, with whom they had two children.

Web links

• Fred R. Zimmerman in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The Political Graveyard (English)
• Wisconsin Historical Society