Former Democratic state legislator Eugene Dorff was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on February 25, 1930. A sheet metal worker with American Motors, he was elected alderman in 1964. Dorff served on the Kenosha City Council until 1970. In that year, after a previously unsuccessful attempt in 1968, he won a seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Kenosha's 65th District.
During his time in the Assembly, Dorff's main assignment was on the Excise and Fees Committee, of which he was a member from 1973 and which he chaired from 1975-1982. In association with these duties, he chaired the Legislative Council Special Committee on Recodification of Alcoholic Beverage Laws in 1977. Other significant appointments include the Labor and Transportation committees, in which he had a role during much of the 1970's. In 1982, Dorff declined to run for re-election, citing his desire to spend more time with his family. Upon his return to Kenosha, he was elected once again to the City Council, later becoming its president. Dorff was elected by the City Council to the post of interim mayor in 1987, after then-Mayor John Bilotti resigned to take a position with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. In 1988, Dorff ran unsuccessfully for mayor in the general election.
