Gary George (Wisconsin politician) facts for kids

Gary R. George (born March 8, 1954) is an African American lawyer and former politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He represented Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Senate for almost 23 years. During his time in politics, he faced some challenges and legal issues. He was eventually removed from office in 2003. Later, he admitted to receiving money unfairly from people and groups after he had given them state or federal funds. He spent three years in federal prison.

Early Life and Education

Gary George was born and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lived most of his life there. He went to Marquette University High School. After that, he earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1979, he received his law degree from University of Michigan Law School.

Political Career Highlights

George first ran for public office after finishing law school. In 1980, he challenged the current Democratic state senator, Monroe Swan. Swan was the first African American state senator in Wisconsin. Swan's chances of winning again were hurt when he faced federal charges. George won the primary election in September 1980 with 60% of the votes. He then easily won the main election. He was re-elected five more times to the Wisconsin Senate. He did not face strong opposition until the 2003 recall election.

In the Senate, George held several important roles. He was a co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, which handles the state budget, from 1984 to 1993. He also led the Senate Judiciary Committee. After some disagreements with Democratic leaders in the mid-1990s, they worked together again. This allowed him to become President pro tempore of the Senate in 1999 and 2001. This role means he was a high-ranking leader in the Senate.

First Recall Attempt (1986)

George faced his first attempt to remove him from office in 1986. This happened during his second term. Some people in his district were upset by comments he made. He had supported Republican president Ronald Reagan and his programs. George made these comments while briefly running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

In September, the group trying to recall him gathered nearly 10,000 signatures. George and his team then worked to show that some signatures were not valid. They found that one person collecting signatures did not live in the district. This meant over 2,000 signatures were removed. Another 1,157 signatures were from voters outside George's district. After these were removed, the recall effort had only 6,675 valid signatures. This was less than the 6,959 needed to force a recall election. So, the recall attempt failed.

Ethics Issues (1990)

After a two-year investigation, George was among several lawmakers found to have accepted small amounts of money from lobbyists. Lobbyists are people who try to influence lawmakers. George was accused of receiving $120 from two lobbyists. He also improperly accepted a free hotel room and meals from another lobbyist. He was fined $1,907 and ordered to do 200 hours of community service. It was later found that he counted some of his regular legislative duties as community service. He also billed the state for some of these activities.

Personal Challenges and Legal Matters

In October 1990, George's wife, Mary, filed for divorce. This became a public and complicated matter. A court official quickly noted that the couple was already spending more money than they had. The following spring, George filed a lawsuit against his estranged wife and another person. He claimed they attacked him when he went to install a basketball hoop at his former home. Mary George said that Gary George started the fight and hit her.

The local district attorney investigated and charged Gary George with minor battery and disorderly conduct. Gary George tried to make a deal with his ex-wife. He agreed to the divorce terms if she would drop the criminal complaint. However, the district attorney was not part of this agreement and continued the criminal case. A jury later found George not guilty in October 1992. Despite these legal issues, George did not have an opponent in his 1992 re-election.

Business Investigation (1993–1997)

George faced another investigation in 1993. This happened after a check-cashing company he founded had financial problems. State examiners found a $100,000 shortage in the company's accounts. They reported this to the local district attorney. The company was also investigated by federal agencies for a possible check fraud scheme.

George had started the company in 1983. He said he gave control to his brother in 1984 to avoid conflicts with his political duties. However, some former employees said Gary George still controlled the company. One employee stated, "We took our orders from Gary. Gary made all of the decisions about First Currency." George never faced federal charges from this business issue. However, he did face a tax judgment from the state in 2011.

First Campaign for Governor (1998)

In June 1998, George announced he was running for Governor of Wisconsin. He ran in the Democratic primary election. His opponent was Ed Garvey, a lawyer. Garvey was well-known for his work with the NFL players' union. George accused Garvey of being part of a "Madison boys club" that he felt had too much power in the Democratic Party. Some people thought George's campaign was meant to hurt the Democratic ticket to help the Republican governor. George received 20% of the primary vote.

The 1998 election gave Republicans control of the state Assembly. However, Democrats kept a small majority in the Senate. Democratic leaders in the Senate decided to work with George again. They did not want him to switch parties, which would give Republicans full control. They made him president pro tempore of the Senate. He also became chairman of the Senate judiciary committee.

Second Campaign for Governor (2002)

After working with other Senate Democrats, George had a productive time in the Legislature. He supported public television, firearm safety, and help for farmers. By late 2000, George began preparing to run for governor again in the 2002 election. He campaigned around the state in 2001 and 2002. However, he did not make it onto the ballot for the Democratic Primary. The state elections board found that many names or addresses on his petitions were not valid.

George's allies also blamed his rival from Milwaukee, congressman Tom Barrett. George then supported Jim Doyle, who won the election.

Second Recall Campaign (2003)

In early 2003, a disagreement arose between the new Democratic governor, Jim Doyle, and the Republican legislature. This was about a bill for gambling rules. Traditionally, the governor handled agreements with the 11 Native American nations that ran casinos in Wisconsin. With a Democrat as governor, the Republican legislature passed a bill requiring legislative approval for these agreements. Governor Doyle vetoed the bill. He said it would make it impossible to renew gambling contracts. Republicans wanted to override the veto. George voted with the Republicans, and the veto override failed by one vote in the Senate.

This vote was the final issue for George after many controversies. The vote was not popular in his district. More importantly, it caused a split with Jerrel Jones, a powerful media owner in Milwaukee. Jones had supported George through many challenges. Jones owned the Milwaukee Courier newspaper and a radio station. He was also part of a foundation that gave money from gambling profits to charity. Jones used his influence to start a recall campaign against George. Jones stated, "It's an accumulation of 20 years of doing nothing for the community and doing everything for Gary George."

The recall campaign gathered 14,395 signatures. This was more than 150% of what was needed. George tried to challenge the signatures, but there were too many valid ones. On July 9, 2003, the state elections board ruled that enough valid signatures were collected. This forced a recall election, making George the second state senator in Wisconsin history to be recalled. George appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the court ruled against him. In the recall primary election in October 2003, George was defeated by Spencer Coggs.

Federal Charges (2004)

Just one month after losing the recall election, George was charged in federal court. He was accused of a plan where he received money unfairly from people and groups. He had directed state and federal funds to them. He was also charged with using his state legislative assistants for personal tasks. Mark E. Sostarich, a lawyer who worked with George, admitted guilt and cooperated with prosecutors. Two months later, George also pleaded guilty.

At his sentencing, George brought many awards to show his commitment to the community. On August 5, 2004, a judge sentenced George to four years in federal prison. George served about three years in prison. He was then released to a halfway house. During this time, George was also linked to a plot involving leaders in the Wisconsin Hmong community. However, George was never charged in that plot.

Later Years

In 2008, the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided that George could apply to practice law again. He regained his law license in 2010.

George's tax problems from the 1993 business collapse caught up to him in 2011. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue sought $91,000 in unpaid taxes.

George tried to return to politics in 2014. He challenged his former state senate colleague, U.S. representative Gwen Moore. He stated he was running because citizens wanted stronger leadership. He lost badly in the August 2014 primary election. He ran again in 2016 and 2018, with similar results. George continues to work as a lawyer in southeast Wisconsin.

Personal Life and Family

Gary George married Mary Cook in 1978. They had two sons. Their divorce in 1990–1991 was complicated. Mary later remarried Peter Igel.

George then married Patricia Schulz. He had two more children with his second wife. They now live in Grafton, Wisconsin.

Election Results

Wisconsin Senate (1980–2003)

U.S. Senator (1986)

Wisconsin Governor (1998)

U.S. House (2014, 2016, 2018)