The 40th mayor of the city of Racine was T. Gleason Morris, who was born in Venedocia, Ohio, on February 26, 1896. With his family, Morris moved to Racine in 1910, where he graduated from high school in 1912. In 1921 he married Mary J. Jones, of Racine; their children were Thomas and Susan. Morris served in the Army during World War I, and later was an active participant in local civic organizations. Morris was a newcomer to politics in 1939 when he defeated William H. Armstrong to win election as mayor. Once in office, his objectives were to reduce the city's outstanding debt and to provide economy in government administration. He defeated Francis H. Wendt in a reelection bid in 1941. After he left office in 1943, Morris returned to the D.P. Wigley Company, which he had joined in 1912. He was company president from 1946 to 1973, and was chairman of the board at the time of his death in 1976.
Francis H. Wendt was born March 8, 1899 in the Town of Yorkville, Racine County, to Frank C. and Katherine (Hess) Wendt. For a number of years he worked on the family farm, before attending Milwaukee's Marquette Academy and West Division High School, from which he graduated in 1923. For the next few years he studied law at the University of Wisconsin, and on his own while working part-time, and passed the bar examination in 1929. In the late 1930's Wendt served as legal counsel for all of the major labor unions in Racine, including the AFL, CIO, and United Auto Workers. He represented the UAW during its strike against J.I. Case Company in 1936 and 1937, and during the subsequent lockout and law suit. Wendt continued to practice law until 1956.
In 1943 Wendt was elected mayor of Racine after being defeated two years earlier. He served three terms. During his tenure in officer, the city and its government underwent a number of changes. The city council was streamlined and fewer committees appointed. A city zoning ordinance was adopted, and a city planning commission and a post-war planning committee appointed, and a 9 million dollar city construction program was begun. Included in the construction was a University of Wisconsin extension campus.
Wendt was involved in mediating the fourteen-month-long strike at the J.I. Case Company in 1947-1948. His ties with the union prior to election hindered his efforts. He chose not to run for reelection in 1949, but attempted a comeback effort in 1955 when he was defeated by Jack Humble. Wendt was elected county probate court judge in 1956, a post he maintained until retirement in 1969.
Succeeding Wendt in 1949 was Democrat John E. Gothner, a Racine lawyer and public accountant. Born June 8, 1901 in Superior, Wisconsin, Gothner graduated from Superior State Teachers College and from the National University Law School, Washington, D.C. (1926). He married Mildred Cruit in Washington, and worked there as a deputy collector of internal revenue until 1929 when he was sent to Racine. In 1935 Gothner left the federal government and began his own accounting business. Gothner served on the city council for a number of years prior to his election as mayor, acting as council president for one term, and as chairman of the finance committee. He was considered a leader of the (Wendt) administration forces, and an expert on financial matters. In 1947 Gothner campaigned for mayor, but lost to the incumbent. Gothner was successful in 1949, however, and served three terms in office. In 1956 he was elected county treasurer, a post which he held until he retired in 1975.
