John D. Winner was born on September 10, 1921 in Port Washington, Wisconsin. In 1935, his family moved to Madison, Wisconsin. After graduating high school, Winner enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he became active in the ROTC program. He enlisted in the Army in 1943, after graduating with a B.A., and was selected to attend the United States Army Infantry Training School at Fort Benning, Georgia. While in training, Winner was attached to the Third Infantry Regiment and placed in command of an anti-tank battalion with the rank of 1st lieutenant.
In March of 1945, the Third Infantry was sent to Europe, and Winner was assigned the task of organizing prisoner camps towards the end of the war. His first assignment was to the prisoner of war camp at Dietersheim, Germany, where he was given the task of organizing the feeding of thousands of German POWs that were surrendering due to the rapid advancement of the American forces. Winner's successful actions in feeding the prisoners would earn him the Bronze Star Medal. He was transferred in June, 1945 to another prison in Darmstadt, Germany, serving in a similar capacity. In January, 1946, he was transferred to another prison camp at Kornwestheim, Germany and served there for about four months before being assigned with the Third Infantry Regiment to the U.S. occupied zone in Berlin.
Winner returned to the United States in 1946 and received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1949. He served as District Attorney for Dane County and as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin before founding his own law practice in 1959. During this time, Winner also served with the Wisconsin National Guard and eventually was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served as a judge advocate general with the 32nd Division when it was reactivated and stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. Winner retired from military life after the division returned to Wisconsin in 1962. He continued to practice law until his retirement in 1996.
Winner married Marcelaine Hobson in 1949 and had three sons, John, Gary, and Scott. In 1995, he did an oral history interview for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum (OH 219). His father, Paul Winner, served as a pilot during World War I. Paul's materials are also part of the holdings at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center.
