Herbert J. Grover

Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Grover graduated from Shawano High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, in 1959. He went to work as a legislative assistant to United States Senator William Proxmire in Washington, D.C., and, while there continued his education at American University, where he received his master's degree in international law in 1963.{{cite web|url= https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS8366 |title= Grover, Herbert J. 1937 |website= Wisconsin Historical Society |date= 8 August 2017 |access-date= February 10, 2021 }}

He returned to Wisconsin to work on a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, but paused his education to run for Wisconsin State Assembly in 1964. Running as a first-time candidate Democrat in the heavily-Republican Menominee–Shawano district, he was considered a long-shot against incumbent Theodore Abrahamson, a power broker in Shawano County for over two decades. Inspired by the campaign tactics of Senator Proxmire, Grover canvassed thousands of farms in the district, covering over 17,000 miles during the campaign.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69907303/grover-to-assembly/ |title= Political Science Student Passes His Campaign Test |newspaper= The Capital Times |date= November 7, 1964 |page= 4 |access-date= February 10, 2021 }} He made a bid for cross-over Republican votes with the slogan "cross over to Grover" and won Shawano County while the county was only one of four in the state to vote for Senator Barry Goldwater over President Lyndon B. Johnson in the presidential election that year. Overall, he won 54% of the vote in 1964,{{cite report |url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1966 |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1966 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |year= 1966 |editor-last= Theobald |editor-first= H. Rupert |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1966/reference/wi.wibluebk1966.i0015.pdf |chapter= Elections |pages=742, 757 |access-date= February 10, 2021 }} went on to win three more elections in the district, and won a fifth term representing the 87th Assembly district, which was drawn to replace most of the territory of his former Menominee–Shawano district in the 1972 redistricting plan.{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1973 |title= The state of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book |editor1-last= Theobald |editor1-first= H. Rupert |editor2-last= Robbins |editor2-first= Patricia V. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1973/reference/wi.wibluebk1973.i0016.pdf |chapter= Elections |pages= 810, 828 |access-date= February 10, 2021 }}

He served on the Assembly Education Committee throughout his tenure in office, and was chairman for the 1973–1974 session. Likely the most important contribution of his tenure in the Assembly was helping to shepherd Governor Patrick Lucey's plan to merge the University of Wisconsin System with what had previously been the State University System.

While in the Assembly, he resumed his education, earning his Teaching Certificate from University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in 1967, and continuing his doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ultimately earning his Ph.D. in educational administration in 1974.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69908928/grover-phd/ |title= Grads Warned of Budget Pinch |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= December 16, 1974 |page= 2 |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} He worked as a teacher in the Shawano area between legislative sessions.

He briefly ran for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1973, after receiving the endorsement of political committee formed by a group of educators, but withdrew before the election after failing to receive the endorsement of the Wisconsin Education Association Council—the state teachers' union.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69910097/grover-resigns-uw-regent/ |title= Regent president to resign post |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= September 5, 1980 |page= 1 |first= Roger A. |last= Gribble |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via= Newspapers.com }}

He resigned from the Assembly in July 1974{{cite journal|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/1973/related/journals/assembly/19740726.pdf |title= Friday, July 26, 1974 |journal= State of Wisconsin Assembly Journal |issue= Eighty-First Regular Session |date= July 26, 1974 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislature |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} to accept an appointment as a special assistant to the newly elected State Superintendent, Barbara Thompson.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69908779/grover-resigns-assembly/ |title= Grover to Leave Assembly |newspaper= Green Bay Press-Gazette |date= July 17, 1974 |page= 3 |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com }} Within a few months, however, he accepted another position as superintendent of Niagara, Wisconsin, public schools, where he served for the next four years.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69909222/grover-leaving-assembly/ |title= Colorful Grover Takes a Final Poke at Politics |newspaper= The Capital Times |date= September 30, 1974 |first= Diane |last= Sherman |page= 15 |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} He left Niagara in 1978 to become superintendent of Monona Grove Public Schools—covering Monona, Wisconsin, and neighboring Cottage Grove, in the suburbs of Madison.

In the meantime, in 1976, he had been appointed to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents by Governor Patrick Lucey. In June 1979 he was elected president of the board by a vote of the regents.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69910022/grover-uw-regents-pres/ |title= Grover elected new regents head |newspaper= The Capital Times |date= June 8, 1979 |page= 1 |first= Kaye |last= Schultz |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com }} He resigned less than two years later, in 1980, to launch a campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin, challenging his one-time boss, incumbent Barbara Thompson. Grover had become an outspoken critic of Thompson, who—since the November 1980 election of Ronald Reagan—had taken to publicly campaigning for nomination as United States Secretary of Education.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69910507/grover-superintendent-campaign/ |title= Grover opens bid with calls for basics |newspaper= The Capital Times |date= December 1, 1980 |first= Matt |last= Pommer |page= 27 |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com }}{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69910541/grover-thompson-education-sec/ |title= Thompson's ink hurts his bid, challenger says |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= December 31, 1980 |page= 5 |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com }} Grover placed first in the 1981 spring nonpartisan primary, in a field that also included former and future Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette, and prevailed in the spring general election with 55% of the vote over his rival, Thompson.{{cite report| url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1981 |title= The state of Wisconsin 1981-1982 Blue Book |publisher= State of Wisconsin |year= 1981 |editor1-last= Theobald |editor1-first= H. Rupert |editor2-last= Robbins |editor2-first= Patricia V. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1981/reference/wi.wibluebk1981.i0016.pdf |chapter= Elections |pages= 865, 869 |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} He was reelected twice, in 1985 and 1989, taking a larger share of the vote each time. He announced he would not seek a fourth term in 1993, amid speculation that he would launch a bid for Governor of Wisconsin in 1994. Grover instead accepted a job in the Wisconsin Department of Administration to oversee a new state career program for people who do not attend college, the Office of School to Work Transition.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69910822/grover-thompson/ |title= Grover picked for new post |newspaper= Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune |date= April 9, 1993 |page= 1 |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com }}

After leaving government service, he taught at University of Wisconsin–Green Bay for five years, and went into the tree farming business.{{cite news|url= http://www.wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=26634 |title= Where are they now? Bert Grover battling knee surgery complications |work= Wisopinion.com |date= January 8, 2010 |first= Neil |last= Shively |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033048/http://www.wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=26634 |archive-date= March 4, 2016 |via= Wayback Machine }}

His brother, Thomas G. Grover, was appointed County Judge for Shawano and Menominee counties by Governor Patrick Lucey in December 1975.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69908281/grover-county-judge/ |title= Thomas Grover fills judgeship of Luckenbach |newspaper= The Post-Crescent |date= December 24, 1975 |page= 2 |access-date= February 11, 2021 |via= Newspapers.com }} He went on to serve over 30 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge for Shawano and Menominee counties.

Grover and his wife, Caroline, have eight children.

{{Election box begin| title= Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 1981 }}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Nonpartisan Primary, February 17, 1981

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Herbert J. Grover

| votes = 125,249

| percentage = 44.03%

| change =

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Barbara Thompson (incumbent)

| votes = 89,475

| percentage = 31.45%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Nonpartisan politician|candidate=Doug La Follette|votes=49,171|percentage=17.29%|change=}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Nonpartisan politician|candidate=Grant Douglas Tews|votes=12,347|percentage=4.34%|change=}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Nonpartisan politician|candidate=Reinhold Kaebitzsch|votes=8,228|percentage=2.89%|change=}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 284,470

| percentage = 100.0%

| change =

}}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 7, 1981

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Herbert J. Grover

| votes = 424,794

| percentage = 54.63%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Nonpartisan politician|candidate=Barbara Thompson (incumbent)|votes=352,820|percentage=45.37%|change=-9.79%}}

{{Election box plurality

| votes = 71,974

| percentage = 9.26%

| change = -1.08%

}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 777,614

| percentage = 100.0%

| change = -3.01%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin| title= Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 1985{{cite report| url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1985 |title= The state of Wisconsin 1985-1986 Blue Book |publisher= State of Wisconsin |year= 1985 |editor1-last= Theobald |editor1-first= H. Rupert |editor2-last= Robbins |editor2-first= Patricia V. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1985/reference/wi.wibluebk1985.i0016.pdf |chapter= Elections |page= 883 |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} }}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 2, 1985

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Herbert J. Grover (incumbent)

| votes = 419,845

| percentage = 75.60%

| change = +20.98%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = I. W. Poehlman

| votes = 135,470

| percentage = 24.40%

| change =

}}

{{Election box plurality

| votes = 284,375

| percentage = 51.21%

| change = +41.95%

}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 555,315

| percentage = 100.0%

| change = -28.59%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin| title= Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 1989{{cite report| url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1989 |title= State of Wisconsin 1989-1990 Blue Book |publisher= State of Wisconsin |year= 1989 |editor2-last= Theobald |editor2-first= H. Rupert |editor1-last= Barish |editor1-first= Lawrence S. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1989/reference/wi.wibluebk1989.i0016.pdf |chapter= Elections |pages= 884, 888 |access-date= February 11, 2021 }} }}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Nonpartisan Primary, February 21, 1989

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Herbert J. Grover (incumbent)

| votes = 182,466

| percentage = 73.81%

| change =

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Arlyn F. Wollenburg

| votes = 32,828

| percentage = 13.28%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = I. W. Poehlman

| votes = 31,917

| percentage = 12.91%

| change =

}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 247,211

| percentage = 100.0%

| change =

}}

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 1989

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Herbert J. Grover (incumbent)

| votes = 616,353

| percentage = 76.78%

| change = +1.17%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Arlyn F. Wollenburg

| votes = 180,496

| percentage = 22.48%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Nonpartisan politician

| candidate = Craig L. Parshall

| votes = 5,915

| percentage = 0.74%

| change =

}}

{{Election box plurality

| votes = 435,857

| percentage = 54.29%

| change = +3.08%

}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 802,764

| percentage = 100.0%

| change = +44.56%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|us-wi-hs}}

{{s-bef|before = Theodore Abrahamson }}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nobreak|from the Menominee–Shawano district}} |years= January 4, 1965{{spaced ndash}}January 1, 1973 }}

{{s-non|reason = District abolished }}

|-

{{s-non|reason = New district }}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nobreak|from the 87th district}} |years= January 1, 1973{{spaced ndash}}January 6, 1975 }}

{{s-aft|after = Earl W. Schmidt }}

{{s-edu}}

{{s-bef|before = Edward E. Hales }}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|President of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents}} |years= June 8, 1979{{spaced ndash}}September 5, 1980 }}

{{s-aft|after = Joyce M. Erman }}

{{s-bef|before = Barbara Thompson }}

{{s-ttl|title = Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin |years= July 6, 1981{{spaced ndash}}April 9, 1993 }}

{{s-aft|after = Lee S. Dreyfus (interim)
John T. Benson (elected) }}

{{s-end}}

{{Superintendents of Public Instruction of Wisconsin|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grover, Herbert J.}}

Category:Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Category:People from Shawano County, Wisconsin

Category:Businesspeople from Wisconsin

Category:American University alumni

Category:St. Norbert College alumni

Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni

Category:University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point alumni

Category:University of Wisconsin–Green Bay faculty

Category:Educators from Wisconsin

Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Category:1937 births

Category:Living people

Category:Superintendents of public instruction of Wisconsin

Category:20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature