Anne Donovan (nee Kreimsreiter) (1908-1999) was born in rural Wisconsin to Aloysius and
Walburga Kreimsreiter, and grew up in Milwaukee. Anne attended Holy Angels Academy and
Marquette University in Milwaukee. She served as secretary to Congressman William Stafford
(R), and accompanied him to Washington, D.C. in 1928. It was there that she met her husband,
Laurence Vincent Donovan (1908-2002), who was born in Brocton, Massachusetts to John J.
Donovan and Catherine Agnes Donovan (nee Smith). Anne and Laurence married in 1934. After
moving to Milwaukee, they were both active participants in the local political scene, and
worked on several political campaigns, including former Mayor Carl Zeidler's. Anne and
Laurence co-founded the Milwaukee Chamber Music Society (later the Milwaukee Chamber
Orchestra). Anne was the chief administrator of the Milwaukee Art Center (later the
Milwaukee Art Museum), and was the first administrator of the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts
Museum when it opened in 1967. Laurence served in the U.S. Army during WWII as a part of the
42nd Rainbow Infantry Division, and upon his return to civilian service worked for the
Wisconsin Telephone Company for 32 years. Both remained actively involved in the Milwaukee
community until their deaths.
