Former Democratic state legislator and Milwaukee mayor John Olof Norquist was born on October 22, 1949, in Princeton New, Jersey, where his father, Ernest O. Norquist was a student at the Princeton Theological Seminary. (Ernest Norquist's World War II papers are a separate collection also held by the Historical Society.). After graduating from high school in Springfield, Illinois, John Norquist attended Augustana College, 1967-1969, and then graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971 with a degree in political science. Later he also earned an M.A. in Public Administration. Norquist's pre-legislative career included three years as a lathe operator at the Milwaukee Electric Tool Company, where he was also a leader of Local 169 and editor of the local's newsletter. He was also active in community organizations such as Neighborhood House, the Neighborhood Centers Council, the South Division Civic Association, the National Avenue Advancement Association, and the Southside Businessman's Club. From 1971 to 1977, Norquist served in the Army Reserves.
In 1974 Norquist was elected to the Assembly and subsequently reelected to three two-year terms. Thereafter his rise to legislative leadership was rapid due in part to his intelligence, wit, and dedication to public service. One of his first committee assignments was the Assembly Transportation Committee, a position that reflected his strong personal interest in urban transportation. Norquist consistently advocated spending less on highway construction and more on mass transit, and as result he often tangled with Lowell Jackson, secretary of the Department of Transportation. While a member of the Assembly he was elected co-chair of the powerful Joint Committee on Finance and chair of the Milwaukee Caucus. In addition, in 1975 he chaired the Legislative Special Committee on Occupational Licensing. In 1982 Norquist was elected to the Senate from the 3rd Senate District. In the Senate he also moved rapidly through the leadership ranks, and in 1984 the Senate Democrats selected him as assistant majority leader. In addition, he continued to serve on the Joint Committee on Finance.
Although Norquist's liberal social ideas were sometimes called socialist, on economic matters he was more conservative. Among his Assembly accomplishments was a successful fight for deregulation of intra-state trucking and interest rates. He was a vocal opponent of the Hospital Rate Setting Commission so that the market could determine patient costs and he advocated the use of vouchers to allow poor Milwaukee children to attend private schools. He also favored the deregulation of most professions licensed by the State Department of Regulation and Licensing. Norquist was always a strong advocate for Milwaukee interests, and he frequently clashed with Mayor Henry Maier on issues such as prison siting and desegregation of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Early in his career Norquist was mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate, and after Maier resigned in 1988, Norquist was elected to succeed him.
