Edmund V. Bobrowicz

Edmund V. Bobrowicz
Personal details
Born	Edmund Victor Bobrowicz (1919-05-01)May 1, 1919 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	March 16, 2003(2003-03-16) (aged 83) Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	St. Adalbert's Cemetery Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic Progressive (1948)
Spouse	Dorothy A. Douglas ​ ​ (m. 1942; died 2014)​
Children	Victor Douglas Bobrowicz (b. 1943; died 2005) Spring (Truckey)
Profession	Union organizer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1945
Battles/wars	World War II Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Edmund Victor Bobrowicz (May 1, 1919 – March 16, 2003) was an American trade union activist and politician from the state of Wisconsin.

Biography

Bobrowicz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Polish immigrants. He served in the Army during the Second World War, in the South Pacific. In 1946, Bobrowicz (then working as a union organizer) ran successfully for the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, ousting incumbent Representative Thaddeus Wasielewski, who was accused of voting for anti-labor legislation).

Before the general election, however, Bobrowicz was accused by the Milwaukee Journal of secretly being a Communist^[1] and was subsequently expelled from the Democratic Party.^[2] Wasielewski, hoping to regain his seat, re-entered the race as an independent, but the two split the Democratic vote, allowing Republican John C. Brophy to win, with 49,144 votes to Bobrowicz' 44,398, Wasielewski's 38.502, and Socialist George Helberg's 2,470.

Bobrowicz subsequently left politics and became a union official, working for 35 years as a representative of the International Fur & Leather Workers Union and the Amalgamated Meat Cutters until his retirement in 1977. In 1987, he and his wife moved to Green Bay to be closer to family. He died at his home in Green Bay in 2003.^[3]

Electoral history

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1946^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Democratic Primary, August 13, 1946
	Democratic	Edmund V. Bobrowicz	11,998	52.83%
	Democratic	Thaddeus Wasielewski (incumbent)	10,713	47.17%
Plurality			1,285	5.66%
Total votes			22,711	100.0%
General Election, November 5, 1946
	Republican	John C. Brophy	49,144	36.53%	+2.59%
	Democratic	Edmund V. Bobrowicz	44,398	33.01%	−30.49%
	Independent Democrat	Thaddeus Wasielewski (incumbent)	38,502	28.62%
	Socialist	George E. Helberg	2,470	1.84%	−0.72%
Plurality			4,746	3.53%	-26.02%
Total votes			134,514	100.0%	-17.54%
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing	33.08%

Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Election, 1948^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1948
	Democratic	Clement J. Zablocki	89,391	55.89%	+22.89%
	Republican	John C. Brophy (incumbent)	63,161	39.49%	+2.96%
	Progressive	Edmund V. Bobrowicz	5,051	3.16%
	Socialist	Clement Stachowiak	2,326	1.45%	−0.38%
Plurality			26,230	16.40%	+12.87%
Total votes			159,929	100.0%	+18.89%
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing	19.93%

References

1. "The G. O. P. Trend". Life. November 4, 1946. p. 46. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
2. "DEMOCRATS: Purge". Time. October 14, 1946. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
3. "Bobrowicz, Edmund V." Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. March 16, 2003. p. 20. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1948). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1948 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 605, 676. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
5. Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1950). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1950 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 754. Retrieved August 2, 2020.