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.
