Former Republican legislator Esther K. Walling was born in Winnebago County on April 7, 1940. She graduated from Oshkosh High School and attended UW-Oshkosh and UW-Green Bay. A wife and mother of two children, Esther Walling also worked as a secretary, bookkeeper, sales manager, and executive assistant. Professional and civic organizations with which she was associated include Twin City Business and Professional Women, the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of the Menasha Library, and the Neenah-Menasha Historical Society.
Prior to seeking political office Walling was an active member of the Neenah-Menasha Republican Club and the Winnebago County Republican Party. In 1975 she was appointed clerk of the town of Menasha; two years later she was elected town chairman. Walling continued in this position until 1981. She also served as head of the Winnebago County unit of the Wisconsin Towns Association.
In 1982 Walling was elected to the Legislature from the 80th Assembly District (later the 55th Assembly District), serving two additional terms. In the Assembly she served on the following committees: Local Affairs (later Urban and Local Affairs), 1983-1985; Highways, 1983-1985; Labor, 1985-1990; and Ways and Means, 1987-1990. In addition she was appointed to the Retirement Research Committee and the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems, 1985-1990, serving as the ranking minority member of the joint statutory committee during her last term. Walling also served on several Legislative Council committees which studied child custody and other topics with which she came to be particularly identified.
Walling did not seek reelection in 1990, choosing instead to pursue a career as a motivational speaker.
