Scott Fitzgerald (politician)
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2011) |
Scott L. Fitzgerald | |
|---|---|
 Fitzgerald in March 2011 | |
| 80th Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Russ Decker |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 13th district | |
| Assumed office 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Barbara Lorman |
| 70th Wisconsin State Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office 2007–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Judy Robson |
| Succeeded by | Mark F. Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 16, 1963 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lisa Fitzgerald |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Juneau, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh |
| Profession | Former newspaper publisher |
| Website | Official website |
Scott L. Fitzgerald (born November 16, 1963) is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 13th District since 1994.[1]
Early life, education and career
Fitzgerald was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Hustisford, Wisconsin, when he was 11 years old. He graduated from Hustisford High School in 1981 and earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh in 1985.
He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1981 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor Branch in 1985. He completed the Army Command and General Staff College and served in a number of assignments during his 27 years of service, including Battalion Commander. In 2009, he retired from service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He worked for nearly 10 years in the newspaper publishing business. He purchased the Dodge County Independent News in Juneau, Wisconsin in 1990 and sold it in 1996 to the Watertown Daily Times where he was retained as an associate publisher for a number of years.
Wisconsin Senate
In 1994, Fitzgerald was elected to the Wisconsin Senate, and he has been re-elected since 1998. He was elected by his Senate Republican colleagues as Senate Majority Leader for the 2011-2012 legislative session.
In prior sessions, Fitzgerald has served as Minority Leader, Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance, and Chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee. He also served on a wide array of boards and study committees ranging from the Rural Economic Development Board, the Governor’s Council on Tourism, and the Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations to the Committee on Telecommunications and 911 Service.
2011 Wisconsin protests
In 2011 there were public employee protests conducted in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill. In January 2011, Fitzgerald said he wanted to meet with the unions before changing the laws. He added: "We're not going to walk through hell and go through that if the Governor doesn't offer that up". On February 8, 2011, Fitzgerald's father was appointed to head the state patrol by the Walker Administration. Three days later, Walker introduced his budget repair bill that took collective bargaining from workers and Fitzgerald supported it. [citation needed]
Personal life
Fitzgerald's father, Stephen Fitzgerald, was Sheriff of Dodge County for 14 years and served as the U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Wisconsin. He was then appointed head of Wisconsin State Patrol by Governor Scott Walker.[2][3] His younger brother, Jeff Fitzgerald, is an Assembly Representative from the 39th Assembly District, and he is serving as the Assembly Speaker for the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Lisa, have three sons.
References
- ^ Scott Fitzgerald, Wisconsin Historical Society
- ^ "Ingaleft: The head of the state patrol-the elder Fitzgerald, has that". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
{{cite web}}: soft hyphen character in|title=at position 60 (help) - ^ Fizgerald's father was referred to as unqualified to head the position, and many considered it to be a political favor in exchange for supporting Walker's budget repair bill.Steve Fitzgerald picked to head state patrol
External links
- Senator Scott L. Fitzgerald at Wisconsin State Legislature
- Senator Fitzgerald official campaign site
- Profile at Vote Smart
- 13th Senate District, Senator Fitzgerald in the Wisconsin Blue Book (2005-2006)