The origins of the Republican Party began in Ripon, Wisconsin in 1854 with its first
nominating convention in 1856. Various state wide and local committees were created
to facilitate the Party’s activities in the mid to late 1850s. Initially, in
Milwaukee, there was a Republican City Committee and a Republican County Committee.
In the late 1880s a discussion began about combining the city and county groups.
Then in 1893, the new combined Republican County Committee, Milwaukee County was
formed. Their first meeting was October 10, 1893 in Milwaukee with a new chairman,
William J. Fiebrantz and secretary William A. Fricke.
