William A. Freehoff was born on a farm near La Crosse, Wisconsin, on December 27, 1889. He received his early education in a rural school. After graduation from the La Crosse High School, he worked for a year on the Leader Press. He then enrolled in the Agricultural Course at the University of Wisconsin, but before completing his education, he accepted a position on the college staff for one year. Until 1926, Freehoff engaged in farming; then he turned to the insurance business. Following in the footsteps of his father, he entered politics, serving as a Conservative Republican in the Assembly from 1921 to 1924 and in the Senate from 1938 to 1946.
