2011 Assembly Joint Resolution 113
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: the life and public service of Frank L. Nikolay.
Whereas, Frank L. Nikolay was born on September 1, 1922, in the town of Day in Marathon County, and died on December 10, 2011, in Abbotsford; and
Whereas, with his passing, Wisconsin has lost a lion of progressivism, and one
of the last of those lights that led politically active liberals from the Progressive Party
into the Democratic fold; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay began a lifetime of service to his country and his state with a stint in the Wisconsin National Guard from 1940 to 1941 and wartime service in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1948; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin from 1952 to 1954; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay joined the Wisconsin National Guard again in 1950, beginning 30 years of service that saw him rise to the rank of colonel in the Judge Advocate section; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay was elected to the Wisconsin assembly from Clark County in 1958, a leading member of the freshman class that ushered in the first Democratic majority in a generation; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay served in the 1959 to 1965 and the 1969 sessions, serving as majority leader in 1965 and assistant minority leader in 1963 and 1969; and
Whereas, many Wisconsin politicians including Dave Obey, Fred Kessler, and Amy Sue Vruwink were inspired by Frank Nikolay's life and public service; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay's public service did not end when he left the legislature, but also included decades of service as a member of the Clark County board and municipal attorney for various cities, towns, and villages in the area; and
Whereas, Frank Nikolay's fierce devotion to the Democratic Party and the less fortunate among us never wavered, even in his later years; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
assembly, the senate concurring, That the legislature salutes Frank Nikolay's long life of public service to Wisconsin and mourns his passing; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide copies of this resolution to Frank Nikolay's wife of 54 years, Mary, his brother, Jim Nikolay, and his sister, Anne Talaska.
