Title: James F. Laatsch Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1979-1982

Creator:

• Laatsch, James F., 1940-

Call Number: Mss 689; Tape 1154A

Quantity: 1.8 c.f. (1 record center carton and 3 archives boxes) and 3 tape recordings

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a Republican assemblyman from Arlington, Wisconsin, who served in the Legislature from 1979 through 1983. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence from constituents relating to specific legislation, press releases and publicity, and subject files. Also included are tapes of radio spot ads and an endorsement of Laatsch by Governor Lee Dreyfus.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00689

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Republican assemblyman and Lutheran minister James F. Laatsch was born in Tigerton, Wisconsin, on April 16, 1940. Raised on a dairy farm, Laatsch attended local schools and graduated from Concordia College in 1963. In 1967 he graduated from Concordia Seminary. For ten years thereafter he served various rural parishes before settling in Arlington, Wisconsin where he established a small carpentry business. In Arlington Laatsch was very involved in various local civic organizations including the Lions Club, Jaycees, and Rotary International.

In 1978 he was elected to the Assembly, defeating Democratic incumbent Leroy Litscher. In 1980 he was reelected by a wide margin. His committee assignments, which are fully noted in the Blue Book, included work on the Agriculture Committee. He also was a member of the Assembly Republican Caucus subcommittees on juvenile justice and energy. In 1983 Laatsch chose not to run again and returned to private life in Arlington.

Although Laatsch's legislative career is of special interest because of his ministerial career, there is no documentation on this aspect of his life in the papers, nor is there any indication of how this background influenced his political views. Rather, the majority of the collection consists of correspondence between Laatsch and his colleagues in state government, lobbyists, advocacy groups, and his constituents in the 80th Assembly District. Also in the collection are copies of some of his press releases and campaign publicity, and some legislative subject files.

The LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENCE is arranged chronologically by session and thereunder by bill number. Some gaps in the coverage will be noted. Laatsch's 1979-1980 legislative highlights included Assembly Bill 251 which concerned local options in the application of the state uniform dwelling code. He also sponsored Assembly Bill 485, which gave school boards authority to deal with students who issued bomb threats. There is also a large quantity of correspondence concerning the marital property reform legislation of that session.

In his second term Laatsch was cosponsor of AB 45 regarding interspousal property transfers and inheritance taxes. There is also a substantial amount of correspondence regarding AB 302 which prohibited abortion in publicly funded hospitals.

SUBJECT FILES contain information on various legislative topics and issues of local concern. It is likely that the collection includes only a small portion of the files of this type which once existed in Laatsch's legislative office. Also included here are copies of his press releases and some campaign literature. The campaign material includes tape recordings of radio spot ads, one of which is an endorsement of Laatsch's candidacy by Governor Lee Dreyfus.

Acquisition Information

Presented by James F. Laatsch, Madison, Wisconsin, 1985-1986. Accession Number: M85-132 and M86-061

Processing Information

Processed by James R. Greve (FGH student-1986) and Carolyn J. Mattern.

Mss 689	Series: Legislative Correspondence
	1979-1980
Box   1 Folder   1-8	Assembly bills 200-1200
Box   1 Folder   9-14	Senate bills
Box   1 Folder   15	Assembly joint resolutions
Box   1 Folder   16	Senate joint resolutions
	1981-1982
Box   1 Folder   17-21	Assembly bills, 1-400
	Senate bills
Box   2 Folder   1-3	501-520
Box   3 Folder   1-5	521-1000
Box   3 Folder   6	Senate joint resolutions
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   3 Folder   7	Blackhawk Sewer system, 1980
Box   3 Folder   8	Bomb threats, 1979
Box   3 Folder   9	Bus warning signals
Box   3 Folder   10	Campaigns, 1979-1982
Tape 1154A Reel   1-2	Radio spots, 1978
Reel   3	Dreyfus endorsement, 1980
Mss 689 Box   3 Folder   11	Clippings, 1982
Box   3 Folder   12	Drunk drivers, 1981
Box   3 Folder   13	Employment of the handicapped, 1980
Box   3 Folder   14	Gauthier, Robert, 1979
Box   3 Folder   15	Ideas for bills, 1980-1982
Box   3 Folder   16	Juvenile justice, 1979
Box   3 Folder   17	Labor unions, 1979-1981
Box   3 Folder   18	Lyon, Clifford, re Golden Eagle, 1980
Box   3 Folder   19	Marital property, 1979-1981
Box   3 Folder   20	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1979-1982
Box   4 Folder   1	Office accounts, 1980-1982
Box   4 Folder   2-3	Press releases, 1979-1982
Box   4 Folder   4	SJR group home, 1981
Box   4 Folder   5	School districts, 1980
Box   4 Folder   6	Student loans
Box   4 Folder   7	Uniform dwelling code, 1979