Milwaukee – Page 53 – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Wisconsin’s First RNC Chairman

Post author:Daniel Suhr
Post published:January 15, 2011
Post category:Milwaukee Political Processes & Rhetoric

On the seventh ballot of their meeting yesterday, the members of the Republican National Committee elected Wisconsin state party chairman Reince Priebus as their new chairman. Contrary to some reports, Priebus is not the first national party chairman from Wisconsin. That designation belongs to Henry Clay Payne, who chaired the RNC for a brief time in 1904.

Payne started his political career in 1872 at the most grassroots level – the Young Men’s Republican Club of Milwaukee County – as a volunteer for President Grant’s reelection campaign. As a reward for his party service, he was appointed postmaster of Milwaukee in 1876 – this before civil service laws protected such positions from political patronage. At one point, he told the citizens of Milwaukee, “As long as I am postmaster, I shall employ only Republicans if I can find those that are competent.” When Democrat Grover Cleveland won the presidency in 1884, he promptly fired Payne as postmaster, labeling him an “offensive partisan.”

Milwaukee’s Residential Segregation – It’s Not Simply Black and White

Post author:David R. Papke
Post published:December 20, 2010
Post category:Milwaukee Poverty & Law Race & Law

The Milwaukee metropolitan area is taking what seems to be its annual beating in the media because of its racially segregated housing patterns. According to a new report from the Brookings Institution based on 2005-09 census data, the City of Milwaukee and the surrounding area including Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha Counties is virtually tied for first (or last!) with Detroit and New York City for the highest degree of black-white residential segregation. A second study conducted by John Logan of Brown University ranked Milwaukee second in residential segregation by race to only the New York City metropolitan area. Newark, Detroit, and Chicago were next on Logan’s list.

To what extent are the troubling rankings and the patterns to which they point truly based on race? American racism is hardly dead and buried, but in our society race often obscures the equally pernicious workings of socioeconomic class inequality.

Thank You

Post author:Sarah Knutson
Post published:November 26, 2010
Post category:Marquette Law School Milwaukee

The Thanksgiving Holiday brings about the annual reminder to take a moment to reflect and to say thank you. So, be sure to thank those around you!

First, thank you to the MULS community because without all of you I would not be where I am today. To my professors, thank you for challenging me even though there are days when I would prefer you did not! You all have instilled in me a deep appreciation for the law and for Marquette. Sometimes it goes unsaid but thank you for all that you do.

Second, thank you to my classmates. Although some I do not know, I will leave law school in a short while having made friends that I consider family. So, whether we were friends in class, competitors in moot court, or friends for life, thank you!

Third, thank you to the Milwaukee community. You all have provided endless opportunities in legal work, volunteer work, and fun! Thank you to all of the firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and others who employ MU law students. The experiences are priceless. I am happy to call Milwaukee home for many years to come!

Last, but definitely not least, thank you to my family. Without your patience, your support, and your love I would not be where I am today.

Thank you and Happy Holidays to everyone!