James Edward Doyle Jr. (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011. In his first election to the governorship, he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican governor Scott McCallum. Although in 2002 Democrats increased their number of governorships, Doyle was the only one of them to unseat a Republican.
Jim Doyle | |
|---|---|
 Doyle in 2009 | |
| 44th Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Lieutenant | Barbara Lawton |
| Preceded by | Scott McCallum |
| Succeeded by | Scott Walker |
| 41st Attorney General of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 7, 1991 – January 6, 2003 | |
| Governor | Tommy Thompson Scott McCallum |
| Preceded by | Don Hanaway |
| Succeeded by | Peg Lautenschlager |
| District Attorney of Dane County | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Humphrey Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Harold Harlowe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Edward Doyle, Jr. November 23, 1945 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jessica Laird |
| Relations | James Edward Doyle (father) Ruth Bachhuber Doyle (mother) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Prior to the governorship, Doyle served as Wisconsin Attorney General from 1991 to 2003. He is currently an attorney 'of counsel' in the Madison, Wisconsin office of the law firm of Foley & Lardner and serves on the corporate board of Epic Systems and Exact Sciences.[1][2]
Early life and education
editJim Doyle was born on November 23, 1945, in Washington, D.C., the son of Ruth Bachhuber Doyle and James Edward Doyle, who were influential leaders of the post-1946 Democratic Party of Wisconsin.[3] Doyle Sr. ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1954 and was appointed as a federal judge in 1965. Ruth Bachhuber Doyle was the first woman from Dane County to be elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1948.
Doyle, who graduated from Madison West High School in 1963, attended Stanford University for three years, then returned home to Madison to finish his senior year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After graduating from college and inspired by John F. Kennedy's call to public service, Doyle worked as a teacher with his wife, Jessica Doyle in Tunisia as part of the Peace Corps from 1967 to 1969.
In 1972, Doyle earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He then moved to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona, where he worked as an attorney in a federal legal services office.
Early political career
editIn 1975, Doyle returned to Madison, Wisconsin, and served three terms as Dane County District Attorney, from 1977 to 1982. After leaving that office, he spent eight years in private practice. Doyle was elected Wisconsin Attorney General in 1990, and reelected in 1994 and 1998. Between 1997 and 1998, he served as the president of the National Association of Attorneys General. During his twelve years as attorney general, Doyle was considered tough on crime,[4] but not unsympathetic to its causes. He also gained recognition as a result of several successful lawsuits against tobacco companies in the state.
Campaigns for governor
edit2002 gubernatorial election
editDoyle ran against Republican Scott McCallum, the former lieutenant governor who had assumed the office of governor in 2001 after Tommy Thompson left to become Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration.
The 2002 governor's race is considered by some to have been the most negative campaign in the state's history.[who?] In response, Libertarian Ed Thompson (brother of Tommy), publicly critical of the negative campaigning of both major party candidates, who became a more viable option for some voters,[5] garnered 10% of the vote.
On election day, Doyle defeated McCallum by over four percent of the vote, becoming the first Democratic governor in the state since Anthony Earl was defeated in 1986. Doyle was sworn in on January 6, 2003 at the State Capitol in Madison.
2006 gubernatorial election
editDoyle defeated Republican Congressman Mark Green in 2006. Doyle topped Green 53% to 45% in a year in which no incumbent Democratic governor, senator, or congressman lost their reelection bid.
During the campaign, Doyle was dogged by charges that Georgia Thompson, a state employee, had steered a travel agency contract to a firm whose principals had donated $20,000 to his campaign. Thompson was convicted in federal court in late 2006 and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[6] The conviction was reversed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2007, with one judge calling the U.S. Attorney's case "beyond thin".[7]
Retirement
edit
Doyle raised about $500,000 for a campaign fund in the first half of 2007, leading political analysts to think he would have been financially ready to run for a third term as governor. In a speech to the state Democratic Party convention on July 6, 2007, he said, "And at the end of these four years of working together, who knows, maybe we'll need four more."[8] He had changed his campaign website to JimDoyle2010.com, which had been seen a further indication of a re-election run. However, on August 17, 2009, Doyle announced that he would not seek a third term.[9]
Governor of Wisconsin
edit
Upon Doyle's taking office, Wisconsin faced a $3.2 billion deficit. The state ended the year 2003 with a deficit of $2.15 billion. Proposals for new programs were constrained by continued budget-cutting and his decision to honor a campaign pledge to not raise taxes. Facing political pressure,[10] he signed a property tax freeze that has resulted in an anticipated decrease in average statewide property taxes in 2003.[11] Doyle's stated priorities were investing in public schools, including the University of Wisconsin System; lowering property taxes; regional economic development; transportation reform; and funding of stem cell research.
On January 2, 2009, Doyle joined the governors of four states in urging the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 state governments to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggled with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.[12]
On May 19, 2009, Doyle proposed a 75-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax, an "assessment" against oil companies to help pay for road improvements, imposition of sales tax on music downloads and cell phone ringtones, and a 1 percent hike in the state income tax for individuals earning above $300,000 a year (approximately 1 percent of the state's population).[13]
Doyle served as chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2007.
In October 2007, the Republican-led Assembly, Democratic-controlled Senate, and Governor Doyle passed a balanced budget that approved transferring $200 million from a medical malpractice fund to the Medical assistance trust fund. In July 2010, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the transfer was illegal and that the state must restore the money to the malpractice fund.[14]
Personal life and family
editJim Doyle is a fifth generation state officeholder in Wisconsin. His mother, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 1940s; his maternal grandfather, Frank E. Bachhuber, represented Marathon County in the Assembly in the 1930s; his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, Andrew Bachhuber and Max Bachhuber, represented Dodge County in the Assembly in the 19th century.[15]
Doyle is married to Jessica Laird Doyle, niece of former Congressman Melvin Laird, and great-granddaughter of William D. Connor, who was lieutenant governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909,[16] and great-great-granddaughter of Wisconsin State Representative Robert Connor.[17] They have two adopted sons, Gus and Gabe, a daughter-in-law, Carrie, a grandson, Asiah, and granddaughters Lily and Lucy.[18]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Attorney General (1990, 1994, 1998)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 11, 1990 | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle | 106,050 | 56.29% | ||
| Democratic | William Te Winkle | 82,337 | 43.71% | ||
| Total votes | 188,387 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 6, 1990 | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle | 687,283 | 50.87% | +4.93% | |
| Republican | Don Hanaway (incumbent) | 635,835 | 47.06% | −4.89% | |
| Labor–Farm | Patricia K. Hammel | 27,948 | 2.07% | ||
| Plurality | 51,448 | 3.81% | -2.21% | ||
| Total votes | 1,351,066 | 100.0% | -6.56% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1994 | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle (incumbent) | 805,334 | 52.52% | +1.65% | |
| Republican | Jeff Wagner | 709,927 | 46.30% | −0.76% | |
| Libertarian | Steven S. Deibert | 18,089 | 1.18% | ||
| Plurality | 1,533,350 | 100.0% | +13.49% | ||
| Total votes | 1,533,350 | 100.0% | +13.49% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 3, 1998 | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle (incumbent) | 1,111,773 | 64.90% | +12.38% | |
| Republican | Linda Van de Water | 565,073 | 32.99% | −13.31% | |
| Constitution | James Chinavare | 18,881 | 1.10% | ||
| Libertarian | Ronald T. Emery | 17,306 | 1.01% | −0.17% | |
| Plurality | 546,700 | 31.91% | +25.69% | ||
| Total votes | 1,713,033 | 100.0% | +11.72% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Wisconsin Governor (2002, 2006)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 10, 2002[22] | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle | 212,066 | 26.39% | ||
| Democratic | Tom Barrett | 190,605 | 23.72% | ||
| Democratic | Kathleen Falk | 150,161 | 18.69% | ||
| Scattering | 802 | 0.14% | |||
| Total votes | 553,634 | 100.0% | +152.90% | ||
| General Election, November 5, 2002[23] | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle / Barbara Lawton |
800,515 | 45.09% | +6.39% | |
| Republican | Scott McCallum (incumbent) / M. A. Farrow (incumbent) |
734,779 | 41.39% | −18.28% | |
| Libertarian | Ed Thompson / M. Reynolds |
185,455 | 10.45% | +9.82% | |
| Green | Jim Young / Jeff Peterson |
44,111 | 2.48% | +2.48% | |
| Reform | Alan D. Eisenberg | 2,847 | 0.16% | ||
| Independent | Ty A. Bollerud | 2,637 | 0.15% | ||
| Independent | Mike Managan | 1,710 | 0.10% | ||
| Independent | Aneb Jah Rasta | 929 | 0.05% | ||
| Scattering | 2,366 | 0.13% | |||
| Plurality | 65,736 | 3.71% | -17.27% | ||
| Turnout | 1,775,349 | 45.43% | +1.10% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 2006[24] | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Doyle (incumbent) / Barbara Lawton (incumbent) |
1,139,115 | 52.70% | +7.39% | |
| Republican | Mark Green / Jean Hundertmark |
979,427 | 45.31% | +3.92% | |
| Green | Nelson Eisman / Leon Todd |
40,709 | 1.88% | −0.60% | |
| Scattering | 2,449 | 0.11% | |||
| Plurality | 159,688 | 3.71% | +3.68% | ||
| Turnout | 2,161,700 | 53.19% | +7.76% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Sources
edit- Laird, Helen L., 'A Mind of Her Own Helen Connor Laird and Her Family 1888–1982' The University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.
References
edit- ^ "James E. Doyle". Foley & Lardner LLP. Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Ferral, Katelyn. "Epic Systems gets a win in U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting workers' ability to sue employers". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
- ^ "Obituary: Doyle, Ruth Bachhuber". Madisonwest61.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ Davidoff, Judith (13 October 2010). "Jim Doyle's final report card". madison.com. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- ^ "2002 General Election for Governor – McCallum & Doyle". Wisconsin Broadcasting Museum. January 22, 2014. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- ^ Steven Walters and Patrick Marley (September 23, 2006). "18-month sentence in travel scandal". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ Adam Cohen (April 16, 2007). "A Woman Wrongly Convicted and a U.S. Attorney Who Kept His Job". New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ^ "Local topics". Archived from the original on February 20, 2008.
- ^ Bergquist, Lee; Forster, Stacy; Marley, Patrick (2009-08-15). "Doyle won't seek re-election in 2010". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ "Jim Doyle's Freeze". Wisconsin Real Estate Magazine. March 2005. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ "Typical Homeowner to See No Increase in December Property Tax Bill, New Analysis Shows". Wisgov.state.wi.us. September 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ "Hungry for real news?". NewsFetish.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-21. Retrieved February 18, 2011.[verification needed]
- ^ Petrie, Bob (2009-02-21). "Doyle defends tax increase proposals". Sheboygan Press. Archived from the original on 2009-02-24.
- ^ Bauer, Scott (2010-07-20). "Court says Wis. must repay malpractice fund $200". Businessweek. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ "Doyle, Ruth Bachhuber". Wisconsin State Journal. May 7, 2006. p. 24. Retrieved August 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Doyle, Jessica Laird, 1945". Dictionary of Wisconsin History. Wisconsin Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 24, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ "blank". www.laonahistory.com. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
- ^ "James Doyle (Wisconsin)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- ^ Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1991). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991–1992 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 891, 908. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1995). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1995–1996 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 894, 913. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Barish, Lawrence S.; Meloy, Patricia E., eds. (1999). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1999–2000 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 890, 913. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/10/2002". Wisconsin State Elections Board. September 24, 2002. p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/05/2002 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 2, 2002. p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2006 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 11, 2006. p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
External links
edit
- James Doyle Archived 2008-08-24 at the Wayback Machine in the Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin Historical Society
- Peace Corps biography of Jim Doyle
- Appearances on C-SPAN