The Political Graveyard: Laird family of Wisconsin

Laird family of Wisconsin

Note: This is just one of 612 family groupings listed on The Political Graveyard web site. These families each have three or more politician members, all linked together by blood, marriage or adoption.

Some families traditionally (and perhaps properly) considered separately are joined together here if linked by marriage or otherwise. These groupings — even the names of the groupings, and the state or lists of states of main activity — are the result of a computer algorithm, not the choices of any historian or genealogist.

William Duncan Connor (b. 1864) — also known as William D. Connor — of Marshfield, Wood County, Wis. Born near Stratford, Ontario, March 24, 1864. Father of Helen Connor (who married Melvin Robert Laird, Sr.); grandfather of Melvin Robert Laird, Jr.. Republican. Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, 1907-09. Interment somewhere in Marshfield, Wis.
- See also Laird family of Wisconsin
Melvin Robert Laird, Sr. (d. 1946) — also known as Melvin R. Laird, Sr. — of Wisconsin. Born near Griggsville, Pike County, Ill. Married to Helen Connor (daughter of William Duncan Connor); father of Melvin Robert Laird, Jr.. Presbyterian minister; member of Wisconsin state senate 24th District, 1941-46; died in office 1946. Presbyterian. Died March 19, 1946. Burial location unknown.
- See also Laird family of Wisconsin
Helen Connor Laird (b. 1891) — also known as Helen Connor; Mrs. Melvin R. Laird, Sr. — of Marshfield, Wood County, Wis. Born in Grand Rapids, Wood County, Wis., August 22, 1891. Daughter of William Duncan Connor; married to Melvin Robert Laird, Sr.; mother of Melvin Robert Laird, Jr.. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1948. Female. Presbyterian. Member, Daughters of the American Revolution. Burial location unknown.
- See also Laird family of Wisconsin
Melvin Robert Laird, Jr. (b. 1922) — also known as Melvin R. Laird — of Marshfield, Wood County, Wis. Born in Omaha, Douglas County, Neb., September 1, 1922. Grandson of William Duncan Connor; son of Melvin Robert Laird, Sr. and Helen Connor Laird; married to Barbara Masters; uncle of Jessica Laird (who married James E. Doyle). Republican. Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; member of Wisconsin state senate, 1946-52; delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1948 (alternate), 1956, 1960, 1964; U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 7th District, 1953-69; U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1969-73. Presbyterian. Member, American Legion; Disabled American Veterans; Forty and Eight; Purple Heart; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Freemasons; Elks; United Commercial Travelers. Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1974. Still living as of 2003.
- See also Laird family of Wisconsin
- See also: congressional biography.
James E. Doyle (b. 1945) — also known as Jim Doyle — of Madison, Dane County, Wis. Born November 23, 1945. Son of James E. Doyle, Sr. and Ruth (Bachhuber) Doyle; married to Jessica Laird (niece of Melvin Robert Laird, Jr.). Democrat. Lawyer; served in the Peace Corps; Dane County District Attorney, 1977-83; Wisconsin state attorney general, 1991-2003; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 2000, 2004; Governor of Wisconsin, 2003-. Still living as of 2004.
- See also Laird family of Wisconsin

"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. It is the Internet's most comprehensive source for American political biography, listing 180,022 politicians, living and dead.

The coverage of the site includes certain federal officials, state officeholders and candidates in all 50 states, state and national political party officials, federal and state judges, and mayors (including candidates at election for mayor) of qualifying cities.
The listings are incomplete; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.
Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.
The official URL for this page is: http://politicalgraveyard.com/families/13314.html
Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.
If you are searching for a specific individual, try the alphabetical index of politicians.
More information: FAQ; privacy policy; cemetery links.
If you find any error or omission in The Political Graveyard, or if you have information to share, please see the biographical checklist and submission guidelines.
Copyright notice. Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2008 Lawrence Kestenbaum. This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.

The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. Web hosting is provided by Paul Haas, of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The site opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on June 16, 2008.