Democratic state legislator and anti-abortion advocate Joanne M. Duren was born in Cazenovia, Wisconsin, on October 11, 1931. After attending local schools, she graduated from Madison Business College in 1950 and established her own secretarial and tax service in Richland Center. In 1965 she became an employee of the State Legislature, working on the staffs of the chief clerk, 1965-1966; the Legislative Council, 1966-1967; and Minority Floor Leader Fred A. Risser, 1967-1968. From 1969-1970 she was director of the Richland Center Chamber of Commerce. During the same period she served as chair of the Office Occupations Committee of the Southwestern Wisconsin VTAE District 3.
Her political career began before women were active in electoral politics in Wisconsin. In 1966 she ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly. As secretary of the Third Congressional District Democratic Organization, she made a second unsuccessful campaign for the legislature in the next election. In 1969 she served as secretary of the Richland County Democratic organization and chair of the district's Committee for an Effective Legislature. In the following year she made a third try for the Assembly; this time she was victorious. At that time she was one of only four women in the legislature. Joanne Duren was reelected by her district five times.
Key committee appointments which Duren held during her tenure in the legislature included chair of Tourism, Recreation, and Economic Development (1975-1982) and State-Federal Relations (1981-1982) and vice-chair of Aging, Women, and Minorities (1981-1982). In addition she served on the Education Committee from 1971 through 1979 and the State-Supported Programs Study and Advisory Committee from 1975 to 1977. Other appointments are noted in biennial editions of the Blue Book. During her tenure in the Assembly Duren gained a statewide reputation for her opposition to abortion, and she sponsored numerous bills to restrict practices in Wisconsin. In addition to legislative efforts against alcohol, drugs, and smoking, Joanne Duren played an important role in the establishment of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin.
Since leaving the legislature she has served as chief clerk of the Assembly.
