Donald W. Steinmetz
{{short description|American judge, former Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = The Honorable
| name = Donald W. Steinmetz
| image =
|office = Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
| term_start = August 1, 1980
| term_end = September 1999
| predecessor = Connor Hansen
| successor = Diane S. Sykes
|office1 = {{nobreak|Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge}} {{nobreak|for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 27}}
| term_start1 = August 1, 1978
| term_end1 = August 1, 1980
| predecessor1 = Transitioned from County Court
| successor1 = Thomas P. Doherty
|office2 = County Judge for {{nobreak|Milwaukee County,}} {{nobreak|Branch 8}}
| term_start2 = January 1, 1966
| term_end2 = July 31, 1978
| predecessor2 = Herbert A. Schultz
| successor2 = Transitioned to Circuit Court
| party =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|9|19}}
| birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|8|31|1924|9|19}}
| death_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| restingplace = Holy Cross Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| profession = lawyer, judge
| education = {{unbulleted list
| University of Wisconsin–Madison
| University of Wisconsin Law School
}}
| father = Christian Steinmetz
| mother = Bessie (Engel) Steinmetz
| spouse = {{unbulleted list
| Marjorie M. Olejniczak
| (m. 1944)
}}
| children = {{unbulleted list
| Mary Christine (Bird)
| Kathleen Marie (Boer)
| Christian George Steinmetz
| Susan Kathryn (Leverson)
| James Martin Steinmetz
}}
|allegiance = {{flag|United States|1944}}
|branch = {{unbulleted list
| {{flag|United States Army}}
}}
|serviceyears = 1943–1945
|rank =
|unit =
|commands =
|battles = World War II
|mawards =
| footnotes =
}}
Donald Walter Steinmetz (September 19, 1924{{spaced ndash}}August 31, 2013) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 19 years, and before that was a trial judge in Milwaukee County for 14 years.
Background
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Steinmetz served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Steinmetz then graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Steinmetz was a claims attorney before his service in government. Between 1958 and 1966, he worked as an assistant Milwaukee city attorney, an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County, and an assistant Wisconsin Attorney General. In 1964, he was the preferred candidate of Democratic leaders, including Governor John W. Reynolds, Jr., to replace deceased Milwaukee County District Attorney William McCauley, but the post went to Hugh O'Connell. He was a Wisconsin county judge and later a Wisconsin Circuit Court judge for Milwaukee County after the county courts were combined into the circuit courts. He was also a teacher at the Wisconsin Judicial College. He was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1980 and re-elected in 1990.[http://www.wicourts.gov/courts/supreme/justices/retired/steinmetz.htm Justice Donald Steinmetz][http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term=id=2801&keyword=steinmetz Donald Steinmetz, Wisconsin Historical Society]
He died on August 31, 2013, in Milwaukee.[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jsonline/obituary.aspx?pid=166788779 Justice Donald Walter Steinmetz-obituary]
Notes
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before = New circuit}}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 27}}|years= 1978{{spaced ndash}}1980}}
{{s-aft|after = Thomas P. Doherty }}
{{s-bef|before = Connor Hansen}}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court}}|years=1980{{spaced ndash}}1999}}
{{s-aft|after = Diane S. Sykes}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinmetz, Donald W.}}
Category:Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Category:Wisconsin circuit court judges
Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Category:Politicians from Milwaukee
Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers
Category:Military personnel from Milwaukee
Category:Lawyers from Milwaukee
Category:20th-century Wisconsin state court judges
Category:20th-century American lawyers
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