Horace White Wilkie, chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Democratic political leader and legislator, was born in Madison on January 9, 1917. In 1938, he received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1944, he received his law degree from George Washington University. He also did additional graduate work at the University of Minnesota (1938-1939) and at American University (1939-1940). While at American University, Wilkie was employed as an analyst for the U.S. Budget Bureau, and he also worked as a consultant to the State Department. From 1942 to 1945, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. After the war, Wilkie returned to Madison where he practiced law from 1945 to 1962. During this time he also served as chairman of the Madison Housing Authority (1945-1950) and as a member of the mayor's Metropolitan Development Committee (1956-1958).
As part of the revitalization of the Democratic Party during the late 1940s, young Progressives, such as Wilkie, became active in the Democratic Organizing Committee (DOC). In this connection Wilkie was active in organizing county DOC units. He was also very involved in the American Veterans Committee, which had similar political concerns. Other political activities included serving as chairman of the Dane County Democratic Club and other work in the Young Democrats. Eventually Wilkie became chairman of the Dane County organization and moved up to district and state vice-chairman. He was defeated, however, by Philleo Nash in his attempt to be elected state party chairman. For three years, he was chairman of the state platform committee, on which he worked for stronger anti-trust legislation, national housing legislation, and national health insurance through Social Security.
After two unsuccessful attempts to unseat Glenn Davis as representative from the Second Congressional District, Wilkie was elected to the State Senate in 1956. Four years later he was reelected. In the legislature, Wilkie served on various committees, including tax revision, education, judiciary, county government, efficiency in government, legislative organization, insurance, banking, public welfare, and joint finance. A complete listing of these posts is included in the Wisconsin Blue Book. Wilkie's achievements include co-authoring the bill which created the Department of Administration and serving as a member of the ad hoc committee that reached the famous tax bill compromise of 1961.
After the death of Chief Justice Grover L. Broadfoot on May 25, 1962, Governor Gaylord Nelson appointed Wilkie to the State Supreme Court. In 1964, despite an attempt by Howard Boyle to unseat him based on a controversial obscenity decision, Wilkie won re-election to a ten-year term. In 1973, Chief Justice Harold E. Hallows became ill, and Wilkie became acting chief justice. After Hallows' retirement in August, 1974, Wilkie became the official chief justice. During his years on the court, Wilkie served on many committtees and was very interested in the reorganization of the state court system which took place during the 1970s.
Horace Wilkie died on May 23, 1976, and was survived by his wife, the former Marian Beardsley, whom he married in 1939, and by five daughters.
