Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Connor T. Hansen was born in Freeman, South Dakota, on November 1, 1913, but in 1919 his family moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he lived for a large part of his adult life. After graduating from Eau Claire High School and Eau Claire Teachers College in 1934, Hansen received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1937. He returned to Eau Claire to establish his practice and almost immediately became involved in electoral politics. He was elected Eau Claire district attorney in 1938, serving three terms before resigning in 1943 to become a FBI special agent. After the war Hansen returned to private practice in Eau Claire. He also resumed his interest in Republican politics. After initially being appointed to the county board, he was elected county board chairman in 1949. In 1948 he actively campaigned in behalf of the presidential candidacy of Harold Stassen and ran unsuccessfully himself for the U.S. Congress. In 1958 Hanson was elected to the Eau Claire county court. As county judge, Hanson was well known for his interest in the problems of youth and juvenile offenders. In 1967 he was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Governor Warren Knowles, in part because of Hansen's reputation as a juvenile court judge and because of his experience with probate law. He was only the second county judge in Wisconsin history to serve on the state's highest court.
In 1970 Hansen was elected without opposition to a full ten-year term on the court. He did not seek reelection, however, in 1980. During his tenure on the court Hansen was known for his opinions upholding state bonding for highways and the Wisconsin Housing Finance Authority and the use of industrial revenue bonds by local government.
After his appointment as Supreme Court justice Hansen moved to Lake Mills, his wife's family home, and after his retirement he served two terms on the Jefferson County Board. Other activities included active membership in the United Church of Christ, and serving as state chairman of the National Council of Christians and Jews and as director of the Wisconsin Welfare Council.
Hansen died in Madison on August 21, 1987.
