Henry A. Huber
| |
|---|---|
 | |
| 25th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 5, 1925 – January 2, 1933 | |
| Governor |
|
| Preceded by | George Comings |
| Succeeded by | Thomas J. O'Malley |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 26th district | |
| In office January 6, 1913 – January 5, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | John S. Donald |
| Succeeded by | Harry Sauthoff |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dane 2nd district | |
| In office January 2, 1905 – January 7, 1907 | |
| Preceded by | Torger G. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Ole P. Sorenson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-11-06)November 6, 1869 Evergreen, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 31, 1933(1933-01-31) (aged 63) Madison General Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery, Stoughton, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Minnie P. Pratt (died 1934) |
| Education | Albion Academy University of Wisconsin Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| |
Henry Allen Huber (November 6, 1869 – January 31, 1933) was an American lawyer and progressive Republican politician from Stoughton, Wisconsin. He was the 25th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, serving from 1925 through 1933. He also served 12 years in the Wisconsin Senate and two years in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing Dane County. Earlier in his career, he also served as an executive clerk to Wisconsin governor Robert M. La Follette. He is known for introducing the first form of state unemployment insurance legislation in the United States, and is the namesake of the "Huber Law" which created Wisconsin's first work release program for state prisoners.
Huber was born in Evergreen, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in 1869. At age ten, he moved with his parents to Pleasant Springs, Wisconsin.[1] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1892 and set up a law practice in Stoughton. He was city attorney for Stoughton, Wisconsin, and served on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. He served as a Republican in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1905 until 1906, and in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1913 until 1924.
During his time as a state senator, he gained national recognition for two landmark pieces of legislation. He introduced the first unemployment insurance legislation in American history,[2] and was the author of Wisconsin's first work release program—still referred to in Wisconsin as the "Huber Law".
In 1924, incumbent Lieutenant Governor George Comings announced he would run for Governor. Huber thus decided that rather than running for a fourth term in the State Senate, he would seek the office of Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 1924.[3] Huber ultimately faced no opposition in the Republican primary, and went on to win the general election with 60% of the vote.[4] He went on to win re-election in 1926, 1928, and 1930, facing competitive primaries and general elections each time. During his four terms as lieutenant governor, he served alongside four different governors.[1][2]
He ran for a fifth term in 1932, but was defeated in the Republican primary by conservative Republican Harry Dahl,[5] who went on to lose the general election to Democrat Thomas J. O'Malley.
Huber died less than a month after leaving office, in January 1933. He was admitted to Madison General Hospital on January 30, suffering from a chronic heart condition, and died the next day.[6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1904 | |||||
| Republican | Henry Huber | 3,413 | 62.76% | +26.26% | |
| Democratic | Peter N. Johnson | 1,740 | 32.00% | −31.46% | |
| Prohibition | Robert S. Pearsall | 173 | 3.18% | ||
| Scattering | 112 | 2.06% | |||
| Plurality | 1,673 | 30.76% | +3.81% | ||
| Total votes | 5,438 | 100.0% | +29.72% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | 57.72% | |||
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912[9] | General | Nov. 5 | Henry Huber | Republican | 8,140 | 52.86% | J. G. O. Zehnter | Dem. | 6,918 | 44.92% | 15,400 | 1,222 |
| William M. McCarthy | Proh. | 338 | 2.19% | |||||||||
| 1916[10] | General | Nov. 7 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 9,554 | 61.32% | John C. Kenny | Dem. | 6,023 | 38.66% | 15,580 | 3,531 |
| 1920[11] | General | Nov. 2 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 31,345 | 99.94% | 31,363 | 31,327 | ||||
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924[4] | General | Nov. 4 | Henry Huber | Republican | 433,106 | 60.27% | Karl Mathie | Dem. | 215,327 | 29.96% | 718,669 | 217,779 |
| Peter Gilles | Soc. | 46,660 | 6.49% | |||||||||
| Maria I. A. Nelson | Proh. | 11,170 | 1.55% | |||||||||
| John E. Ferris | Ind.R. | 8,301 | 1.16% | |||||||||
| Steve Fisher | Soc.Lab. | 2,025 | 0.28% | |||||||||
| Charles Kuzdas | Work. | 1,978 | 0.28% | |||||||||
| 1926[12] | Primary | Sep. 7 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 200,514 | 49.73% | J. N. Tittemore | Rep. | 106,807 | 26.49% | 403,206 | 93,707 |
| Conrad Hansen | Rep. | 95,885 | 23.78% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 2 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 395,235 | 78.92% | William G. Evenson | Dem. | 61,865 | 12.35% | 500,831 | 333,370 | |
| Peter Gilles | Soc. | 34,283 | 6.85% | |||||||||
| Henry H. Tubbs | Proh. | 9,448 | 1.89% | |||||||||
| 1928[13] | Primary | Sep. 4 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 261,913 | 60.52% | Chester Werden | Rep. | 101,472 | 23.45% | 432,795 | 160,441 |
| Harold L. Plummer | Rep. | 69,410 | 16.04% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 6 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 582,456 | 64.48% | Leo P. Fox | Dem. | 277,497 | 30.72% | 903,254 | 304,959 | |
| S. S. Walkup | Soc. | 34,162 | 3.78% | |||||||||
| Oliver Needham | Proh. | 6,621 | 0.73% | |||||||||
| Henry Koski | Work. | 1,314 | 0.15% | |||||||||
| Emil Wagner | Ind.Lab. | 1,204 | 0.13% | |||||||||
| 1930[14] | Primary | Sep. 16 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 318,225 | 54.87% | Harry Dahl | Rep. | 261,722 | 45.13% | 579,947 | 56,503 |
| General | Nov. 4 | Henry Huber (inc) | Republican | 370,075 | 66.04% | Bert Husting | Dem. | 141,632 | 25.27% | 560,373 | 228,443 | |
| John R. Severin | Soc. | 32,107 | 5.73% | |||||||||
| Otto D. Kahl | Proh. | 13,404 | 2.39% | |||||||||
| William Clark | Comm. | 3,155 | 0.56% | |||||||||
| 1932[5] | Primary | Sep. 20 | Harry Dahl | Republican | 379,060 | 56.74% | Henry Huber (inc) | Rep. | 288,971 | 43.26% | 668,031 | 90,089 |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 1924, 1926, 1928, 1930 |
Succeeded by Harry Dahl |
| Wisconsin State Assembly | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dane 2nd district January 2, 1905 – January 7, 1907 |
Succeeded by |
| Wisconsin Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 26th district January 6, 1913 – January 5, 1925 |
Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin January 5, 1925 – January 2, 1933 |
Succeeded by |
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