William A. Bablitch

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title: "William A. Bablitch" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1941-births", "2011-deaths", "people-from-stevens-point,-wisconsin", "district-attorneys-in-wisconsin", "democratic-party-wisconsin-state-senators", "justices-of-the-wisconsin-supreme-court", "university-of-wisconsin-law-school-alumni", "university-of-wisconsin–madison-alumni", "university-of-virginia-school-of-law-alumni", "20th-century-wisconsin-state-court-judges", "21st-century-members-of-the-wisconsin-legislature"] description: "American politician (1941–2011)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Bablitch" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician (1941–2011) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	William A. Bablitch
office
term_start	August 1, 1983
term_end	July 31, 2003
predecessor	Bruce F. Beilfuss
successor	Patience D. Roggensack
office1	President pro tempore of the
term_start1	January 3, 1983
term_end1	July 31, 1983
predecessor1	Vacant since 1979
Fred Risser (1979)
successor1	Vacant until 1993
Alan Lasee (1993)
office2	Majority Leader of the
term_start2	May 17, 1976
term_end2	May 26, 1982
predecessor2	Wayne F. Whittow
successor2	Timothy Cullen
state3	Wisconsin
state_senate3	Wisconsin
district3	24th
term_start3	January 1, 1973
term_end3	July 31, 1983
predecessor3	Raymond F. Heinzen
successor3	David Helbach
office4	District Attorney of
term_start4	January 1, 1969
term_end4	January 1, 1973
predecessor4	Wendel W. Crosby
successor4	Maris Rushevies
party	Democratic
birth_name	William Albert Bablitch
birth_date
birth_place	Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S.
restingplace	Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
spouse	{{unbulleted list
{{marriage	Martha Jean Virtue
children	1
profession	Lawyer
education	University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Virginia
::

| name = William A. Bablitch | image = | office = | term_start = August 1, 1983 | term_end = July 31, 2003 | predecessor = Bruce F. Beilfuss | successor = Patience D. Roggensack | office1 = President pro tempore of the | term_start1 = January 3, 1983 | term_end1 = July 31, 1983 | predecessor1 = Vacant since 1979 Fred Risser (1979) | successor1 = Vacant until 1993 Alan Lasee (1993) | office2 = Majority Leader of the | term_start2 = May 17, 1976 | term_end2 = May 26, 1982 | predecessor2 = Wayne F. Whittow | successor2 = Timothy Cullen | state3 = Wisconsin | state_senate3 = Wisconsin | district3 = 24th | term_start3 = January 1, 1973 | term_end3 = July 31, 1983 | predecessor3 = Raymond F. Heinzen | successor3 = David Helbach | office4 = District Attorney of | term_start4 = January 1, 1969 | term_end4 = January 1, 1973 | predecessor4 = Wendel W. Crosby | successor4 = Maris Rushevies | party = Democratic | birth_name = William Albert Bablitch | birth_date = | birth_place = Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S. | restingplace = Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin | spouse = {{unbulleted list | | | children = 1 | profession = Lawyer | education = University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Virginia William Albert Bablitch (March 1, 1941February 16, 2011) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He served as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 20 years, from 1983 to 2003. Earlier, he served nine years in the Wisconsin Senate, and was the Democratic majority leader from 1976 to 1982.

Biography

Bablitch was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and graduated from Pacelli High School in 1959. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1963. He served in the Peace Corps for two years before earning a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968.

Bablitch served as Portage County district attorney from 1969 to 1972 and served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1972 to 1983 and was a Democrat. He was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1983 and reelected in 1993. While serving his first term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Bablitch earned a master of laws degree in the appellate process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1987.

Bablitch retired at the end of his second ten-year term on July 31, 2003. He subsequently worked as a part-time advising partner at the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Madison, Wisconsin. In retirement, he spent his winters in Hawaii, and died there on February 16, 2011, after a long battle with cancer.

Personal life and family

William Bablitch was one of four children born to Albert and Marguerite (** Mann) Bablitch. William's brother, Stephen E. Bablitch, was also a prominent Wisconsin attorney and became the first secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

William Bablitch married Martha Jean Virtue on January 27, 1968, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They met while both were attending the University of Wisconsin Law School. Martha, afterwards known as Martha Bablitch, went on to become a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. They had one daughter before divorcing in 1978. Bablitch subsequently remarried, and was survived by his second wife, Ann Milne.

References

References

1. "Bablitch, William A. 1941".
2. (1981). "The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1981–1982". [[Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau]].
3. Rabideau Silvers, Amy. (February 17, 2011). "Bablitch a longtime public servant". [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]].
4. "Former Justices - Justice William A. Bablitch".
5. Rabideau Silvers, Amy. (February 17, 2011). "Bablitch, former state Supreme Court justice, dies". [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]].
6. (December 7, 1990). "Bablitch quits state prison post". [[The Post-Crescent]].
7. (February 8, 1968). "Mr. Bablitch Claims Bride in Michigan". Stevens Point Journal.
8. "Martha Bablitch". Stevens Point News.
9. (January 8, 1986). "Justice Bablitch to marry Feb. 15". [[Wisconsin State Journal]].

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