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Wisconsin's 16th Senate district
American legislative district in Dane County, Wisconsin
American legislative district in Dane County, Wisconsin
| Field | Value | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| image | {{switcher | ||||||||||||
| {{maplink | frame | yes | plain=yes | from=Wisconsin's 16th Senate district (2024–2031).map | frame-height=300 | frame-width=400 | frame-coord= | frame-longitude=-77.2 | zoom=9 | overlay-horizontal-alignment=right | overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom | overlay=[[File:2024 WI Sen 16.svg | 100px]] }} |
| {{maplink | frame | yes | plain=yes | from=Wisconsin's 16th Senate district (2022–2023).map | frame-height=300 | frame-width=400 | frame-coord= | frame-longitude=-77.2 | zoom=9 | overlay-horizontal-alignment=right | overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom | overlay=[[File:2024 WI Sen 16.svg | 100px]] }} |
| {{maplink | frame | yes | plain=yes | from=Wisconsin's 16th Senate district (2012–2021).map | frame-height=300 | frame-width=400 | frame-coord= | frame-longitude=-77.2 | zoom=9 | overlay-horizontal-alignment=right | overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom | overlay=[[File:2024 WI Sen 16.svg | 100px]] }} |
| image caption | 2024 map defined in [2023 Wisc. Act 94](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/related/acts/94) | ||||||||||||
| 2022 map defined in *[ Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission](https://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=512188)* | |||||||||||||
| 2011 map was defined in [2011 Wisc. Act 43](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/acts/43) | |||||||||||||
| composed of Assembly districts 46, 47, and 48 | |||||||||||||
| chamber | Senate | ||||||||||||
| state | Wisconsin | ||||||||||||
| district | 16 | ||||||||||||
| representative | Melissa Ratcliff | ||||||||||||
| residence | Cottage Grove | ||||||||||||
| party | Democratic | ||||||||||||
| incumbentsince | January 6, 2025 () | ||||||||||||
| population | 177,313 | ||||||||||||
| population_year | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| voting_age | 137,206 | ||||||||||||
| percent_white | 83.03 | ||||||||||||
| percent_black | 5.02 | ||||||||||||
| percent_hispanic | 6.31 | ||||||||||||
| percent_asian | 3.85 | ||||||||||||
| percent_native_american | 1.51 | ||||||||||||
| percent_pacific_islander | 0.11 | ||||||||||||
| website | [Official website](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/districts/senate/16) | ||||||||||||
| notes | South-central Wisconsin |
| | From 2024 to 2031 | | From 2022 to 2023 | | From 2012 to 2021 2022 map defined in Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission 2011 map was defined in 2011 Wisc. Act 43 composed of Assembly districts 46, 47, and 48 The 16th Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the district comprises much of eastern Dane County, western Jefferson County, and part of southwest Dodge County. It includes the cities of Fitchburg, Fort Atkinson, Lake Mills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, and Waterloo, and the villages of Cottage Grove, Deerfield, and Marshall, and parts of the city of Madison and the village of McFarland. It also contains Lake Kegonsa State Park and most of Lake Koshkonong.
Current elected officials
Melissa Ratcliff is the senator representing the 16th district. She was first elected in the 2024 general election. Before serving as senator, she served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2023 to 2025, representing Sun Prairie and Madison's far east side.
Each Wisconsin State Senate district is composed of three Wisconsin State Assembly districts. The 16th Senate district comprises the 46th, 47th, and 48th Assembly districts. The current representatives of those districts are:
- Assembly District 46: Joan Fitzgerald (D–Fort Atkinson)
- Assembly District 47: Randy Udell (D–Fitchburg)
- Assembly District 48: Andrew Hysell (D–Sun Prairie)
The district crosses two congressional districts. The portion of the district in Dodge and Jefferson counties fall within Wisconsin's 5th congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Representative Scott L. Fitzgerald. The remainder of the district, in Dane County, falls within Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, represented by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan.
File:0707 Fort Atkinson from Rock River.JPG|Downtown Fort Atkinson File:Aztalan platform mound steps.jpg|Aztalan State Park File:Bandshelter.jpg|Commons Park, downtown Lake Mills File:Lake Kegonsa State Park.JPG|Lake Kegonsa State Park File:StoughtonWisconsinPublicLibraryUS51.jpg|Stoughton public library File:Fitchburg Neighborhood - panoramio.jpg|Neighborhood in Fitchburg. File:Fitchburg Farm - panoramio.jpg|Fitchburg farm File:SunPrairieWisconsinDowntown.jpg|Downtown Sun Prairie File:100 and 104 East Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI.jpg|Sun Prairie Downtown Historic District
Past senators
Notable past senators include:
- Christopher Latham Sholes, 1848-1850, "father of the typewriter"
- John Sharpstein, 1852, Justice of the Supreme Court of California
- Nelson Dewey, 1854-1856, 1st Governor of Wisconsin
- J. Allen Barber, 1856-1858, U.S. Congressman (1871-1875), 15th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- George Cochrane Hazelton, 1868-1872, U.S. Congressman (1877-1883), 1st Attorney General for the District of Columbia
- John J. Blaine, 1909-1913, 24th Governor of Wisconsin, United States Senator (1927-1933)
- Gaylord Nelson, 1949-1958, 35th Governor of Wisconsin, United States Senator (1963-1981)
- Charles Chvala, 1985-2005, Majority Leader (1999-2002)
- Mark F. Miller, 2005-2021, Majority Leader (2012-2013)
| Senator | Party | Notes | Session | Years | District Definition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *District created* | 1848 | [[File:1848 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] Kenosha County | ||||||
| C. Latham Sholes | Dem. | [1st](1st-wisconsin-legislature) | |||||||||
| Free Soil | [2nd](2nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1849 | |||||||||
| Elijah Steele | Dem. | *Resigned.* | [3rd](3rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1850 | |||||||
| Orson S. Head | Whig | *Won 1851 special election.* | [4th](4th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1851 | |||||||
| John Sharpstein | Dem. | *Redistricted to 8th district* | [5th](5th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1852 | |||||||
| Joel C. Squires | Dem. | *Resigned.* | [6th](6th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1853 | [[File:1852 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1852–1855 | |||
| [[File:1856 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1856–1860 | ||||||||
| [[File:1861 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1861–1865 | ||||||||
| [[File:1866 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1866–1870 | ||||||||
| [[File:1871 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1871–1875 | ||||||||
| [[File:1876 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1876–1881 | ||||||||
| [[File:1882 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] 1882–1887 | ||||||||
| Grant County | |||||||||||
| James W. Seaton | Dem. | *Won 1853 special election* | |||||||||
| Nelson Dewey | Dem. | [7th](7th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1854 | ||||||||
| [8th](8th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1855 | ||||||||||
| J. Allen Barber | Rep. | [9th](9th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1856 | ||||||||
| [10th](10th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1857 | ||||||||||
| Noah Virgin | Rep. | [11th](11th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1858 | ||||||||
| [12th](12th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1859 | ||||||||||
| [13th](13th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1860 | ||||||||||
| [14th](14th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1861 | ||||||||||
| Milas K. Young | Rep. | [15th](15th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1862 | ||||||||
| [16th](16th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1863 | ||||||||||
| Natl. Union | [17th](17th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1864 | |||||||||
| [18th](18th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1865 | ||||||||||
| John H. Rountree | Natl. Union | [19th](19th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1866 | ||||||||
| [20th](20th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1867 | ||||||||||
| George C. Hazelton | Rep. | [21st](21st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1868 | ||||||||
| [22nd](2nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1869 | ||||||||||
| [23rd](23rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1870 | ||||||||||
| [24th](24th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1871 | ||||||||||
| John C. Holloway | Rep. | [25th](25th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1872 | ||||||||
| [26th](26th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1873 | ||||||||||
| [27th](27th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1874 | ||||||||||
| [28th](28th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1875 | ||||||||||
| Oscar C. Hathaway | Rep. | [29th](29th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1876 | ||||||||
| [30th](30th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1877 | ||||||||||
| [31st](31st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1878 | ||||||||||
| [32nd](32nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1879 | ||||||||||
| George W. Ryland | Rep. | [33rd](33rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1880 | ||||||||
| [34th](34th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1881 | ||||||||||
| [35th](35th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1882 | ||||||||||
| [36th](36th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1883–1884 | ||||||||||
| Edward I. Kidd | Rep. | [37th](37th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1885–1886 | ||||||||
| [38th](38th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1887–1888 | ||||||||||
| [39th](39th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1889–1890 | [[File:1888 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] Crawford & Grant counties | ||||||
| [40th](40th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1891–1892 | ||||||||||
| Charles H. Baxter | Rep. | [41st](41st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1893–1894 | Crawford and Richland counties, and {{Collapsible list | title=Northern Grant County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||
| [42nd](42nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1895–1896 | ||||||||||
| [43rd](43rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1897–1898 | Grant and Iowa counties | |||||||||
| [44th](44th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1899–1900 | ||||||||||
| Edward E. Burns | Rep. | [45th](45th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1901–1902 | ||||||||
| [46th](46th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1903–1904 | Crawford and Grant counties | |||||||||
| [47th](47th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1905–1906 | ||||||||||
| [48th](48th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1907–1908 | ||||||||||
| John J. Blaine | Rep. | [49th](49th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1909–1910 | ||||||||
| [50th](50th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1911–1912 | ||||||||||
| Robert Glenn | Rep. | *Elected 1912. | |||||||||
| Died 1915.* | [51st](51st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1913–1914 | Crawford, Grant, and Richland counties | ||||||||
| [52nd](52nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1915–1916 | ||||||||||
| *--Vacant--* | |||||||||||
| Henry Edgar Roethe | Rep. | [53rd](53rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1917–1918 | ||||||||
| [54th](54th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1919–1920 | ||||||||||
| [55th](55th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1921–1922 | ||||||||||
| [56th](56th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1923–1924 | Crawford, Grant, and Vernon counties | |||||||||
| Edward J. Roethe | Rep. | [57th](57th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1925–1926 | ||||||||
| [58th](58th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1927–1928 | ||||||||||
| [59th](59th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1929–1930 | ||||||||||
| [60th](60th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1931–1932 | ||||||||||
| William D. Carroll | Dem. | [61st](61st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1933–1934 | ||||||||
| [62nd](62nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1935–1936 | ||||||||||
| Edward J. Roethe | Rep. | [63rd](63rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1937–1938 | ||||||||
| [64th](64th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1939–1940 | ||||||||||
| Helmar Lewis | Rep. | [65th](65th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1941–1942 | ||||||||
| [66th](66th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1943–1944 | ||||||||||
| Foster B. Porter | Rep. | [67th](67th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1945–1946 | ||||||||
| [68th](68th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1947–1948 | ||||||||||
| [69th](69th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1949–1950 | ||||||||||
| [70th](70th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1951–1952 | ||||||||||
| [71st](71st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1953–1954 | ||||||||||
| [72nd](72nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1955–1956 | ||||||||||
| Gaylord Nelson | Dem. | *Redistricted from 26th district.* | [73rd](73rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1957–1958 | Most of Dane County | ||||||
| Carl W. Thompson | Dem. | [74th](74th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1959–1960 | ||||||||
| [75th](75th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1961–1962 | ||||||||||
| [76th](76th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1963–1964 | ||||||||||
| [77th](77th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1965–1966 | ||||||||||
| [78th](78th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1967–1968 | ||||||||||
| [79th](79th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1969–1970 | ||||||||||
| [80th](80th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1971–1972 | ||||||||||
| [81st](81st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1973–1974 | {{Collapsible list | title= Parts of Dane County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||||
| [82nd](82nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1975–1976 | ||||||||||
| [83rd](83rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1977–1978 | ||||||||||
| [84th](84th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1979–1980 | ||||||||||
| [85th](85th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1981–1982 | ||||||||||
| [86th](86th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1983–1984 | {{Collapsible list | title= Parts of Dane County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||||
| Charles Chvala | Dem. | [87th](87th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1985–1986 | {{Collapsible list | title= Eastern Dane County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||
| [88th](8th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1987–1988 | ||||||||||
| [89th](89th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1989–1990 | ||||||||||
| [90th](90th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1991–1992 | ||||||||||
| [91st](91st-wisconsin-legislature) | 1993–1994 | Part of Dane County | |||||||||
| Southern Columbia County {{Collapsible list | title= Part of Rock County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||||||
| [92nd](92nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1995–1996 | ||||||||||
| [93rd](93rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 1997–1998 | ||||||||||
| [94th](94th-wisconsin-legislature) | 1999–2000 | ||||||||||
| [95th](95th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2001–2002 | ||||||||||
| [96th](96th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2003–2004 | Part of Dane County | |||||||||
| Southern Columbia County {{Collapsible list | title= Part of Sauk County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | |||||||||
| Mark F. Miller | Dem. | [97th](97th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2005–2006 | ||||||||
| [98th](98th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2007–2008 | ||||||||||
| [99th](99th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2009–2010 | ||||||||||
| [100th](100th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2011–2012 | ||||||||||
| [101st](101st-wisconsin-legislature) | 2013–2014 | [[File:2011 WI Sen 16.png | frameless | center | 300px]] {{Collapsible list | title=Central Dane County | titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;font-size:85%; | ||||
| [102nd](102nd-wisconsin-legislature) | 2015–2016 | ||||||||||
| [103rd](103rd-wisconsin-legislature) | 2017–2018 | ||||||||||
| [104th](104th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2019–2020 | ||||||||||
| Melissa Agard | Dem. | [105th](105th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2021–2022 | ||||||||
| [106th](106th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2023–2024 | [[File:2022 WI Sen 16.png | frameless | center | 300px]] Central Dane County | ||||||
| Melissa Ratcliff | Dem. | [107th](107th-wisconsin-legislature) | 2025–2026 | [[File:2024 WI Sen 16.svg | frameless | center | 150px]] Eastern Dane County | ||||
| Western Jefferson County | |||||||||||
| part of southwest Dodge County |
References
References
- "Senate District 16".
- "Wisconsin Legislative Districts - Senate District 16 Boundaries".
- (2025). "Senator Melissa Ratcliff".
- "Wisconsin Blue Book, 2011-12 edition, page 50".
- "State of Wisconsin Congressional Districts".
- Wisconsin Blue Book, 1991-92 edition, ''Statistics: History'', pages 657-666.
- (1882). "The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin.
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