MADISON, Wis.-
Fred Risser jokes about having been in the Legislature so long, the state is tearing down buildings he voted to construct.
The 79-year-old Democratic state senator from Madison has served 50 years–longer than any of the nation’s current 7,500 legislators. It became official Jan. 3, when New York Sen. John Marchi retired.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Marchi was elected in 1956, when Dwight Eisenhower was president, Joseph McCarthy represented Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate and a 29-year-old Risser first won election to the state Assembly.
“The time just goes by pretty fast, and the older you get, the faster it goes,” Risser said. “It wasn’t anything I strived for. When I started out in the Legislature I had no intention of serving this long.”
Risser won a special election to the state Senate in 1962. The proud liberal Risser has pushed to regulate smoking, protect abortion rights and increase funding for the University of Wisconsin and state employees.
He is considered highly ethical, though he has irritated opponents by tying up the Senate with procedural maneuvers when he opposes a bill.
“He absolutely represents his district’s interests and the best of Wisconsin progressivism,” said Stuart Levitan, a Madison historian who ran a courteous campaign against Risser in 1996. “Fred stands for good government.”
Risser, in good health, shows no signs of slowing down.
This month he became Senate president–a post he has held four times–as his party took control of the chamber. He has announced plans to seek a statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants, an overhaul of the campaign finance system and a cigarette tax increase.
Risser said he hasn’t decided whether to run for re-election in 2008 but made it clear he still loves his job.
“It’s probably one of the most frustrating activities one can get involved in, but that stimulates the adrenaline,” Risser said.
Risser is the fourth generation of his family to represent Madison in the Legislature–each under a different party. His great-grandfather was a Unionist after the Civil War. His grandfather was a Republican, and his father was a Progressive. But the streak may end: None of Risser’s three children is active in Wisconsin politics.
Kirby Hendee, a retired Shorewood Republican elected to the Senate in 1956, remembers serving on the Legislature’s budget committee with Risser in 1959. He said it’s amazing his former colleague is still serving.
“It’s got to be a labor of love for him at this point,” said Hendee, 83. “It can be wearing on a person, especially when you’re in the minority. But he’s back on top now so he’ll be enjoying that.”
