# Alex C. Ruffing

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{{short description|American politician (1892–1958)}}
thumb|Alex Ruffing, machinist and Socialist politician '''Alex C. Ruffing''' (November 2, 1892 – September 6, 1958) was an American [machinist](/source/machinist) and [Socialist](/source/Socialist_Party_of_the_United_States) from [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee) who served four terms (1919–1926) as a member of the [Wisconsin State Assembly](/source/Wisconsin_State_Assembly) and one shortened term in [Wisconsin State Senate](/source/Wisconsin_State_Senate) representing [Milwaukee County](/source/Milwaukee_County%2C_Wisconsin)-based districts<ref>[http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/ib/99ib1.pdf ''Members of the Wisconsin Legislature, 1848-1999'' Madison: State of Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 1999; pp. 16, 101] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209014416/http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/ib/99ib1.pdf |date=December 9, 2006 }}</ref>

== Background ==
Ruffing was born in Milwaukee on November 2, 1892. He was educated in the [public](/source/state_school) and [parochial schools](/source/parochial_schools) and learned the machinist trade at the [Allis-Chalmers](/source/Allis-Chalmers) plant.

== Legislative career ==
He had never entered electoral politics before a 1916 run for the Assembly from the 7th Milwaukee County district (7th and 10th [wards](/source/ward_(country_subdivision)) of the City of Milwaukee), which he lost to [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) [Bernhard Gettelman](/source/Bernhard_Gettelman) by 85 votes.<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1917 ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1917'' Madison: Democrat Printing Co., State Printer, 1917; p. 296]</ref> In 1918 Ruffing was elected to the same Assembly seat at the age of 26 years and three days, receiving 2,959 votes to 1,410 for Republican Tony Rausch (Gettelman had become chief [deputy sheriff](/source/deputy_sheriff) of Milwaukee County). He became the youngest member of the fifty-fourth session of the legislature, and was assigned to the [standing committee](/source/standing_committee) on [public welfare](/source/public_welfare). He continued to work at the factory between sessions at first, but from 1923 to 1928 worked as an [annexation](/source/annexation) solicitor for the City of Milwaukee.<ref>"Ruffing Quits Board for Annexation Post." ''[Milwaukee Journal](/source/Milwaukee_Journal)'' August 30, 1949; p. 12, col. 5</ref>

He was re-elected in 1920 and 1922 without opposition, switching to the Committees on the [Judiciary](/source/Judiciary) and then [Finance](/source/Finance), and in 1924 won re-election by 2367 votes to 1622 for Henry A. Zaidina.<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1925 Holmes, Fred L., ed. ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1925'' Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1925; p. 576]</ref>

In November 1926, Ruffing was elected to the State Senate to fill out the unexpired term of fellow Socialist [Joseph Padway](/source/Joseph_Padway) (who had resigned to serve as [judge](/source/judge) of the Milwaukee civil court), with 4297 votes for Ruffing to 3294 for Republican Otto Tetzloff. He was assigned to the [joint committee](/source/Joint_committee_(legislative)) on Finance, on which he'd served two terms while in the Assembly.<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1927 Holmes, Fred L., ed. ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1927'' Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1927; pp. 584, 653, 676]</ref> He was appointed as a Milwaukee [alderman](/source/alderman) by Socialist mayor [Dan Hoan](/source/Dan_Hoan) in 1928, and was succeeded in the Senate by fellow Socialist [Thomas Duncan](/source/Thomas_Duncan_(Wisconsin_legislator)).

== Post-legislature ==
Ruffing continued to serve as an alderman until defeated for re-election on April 4, 1944, by Republican State Representative [Martin E. Schreiber](/source/Martin_E._Schreiber).<ref>"Seven Upsets in City Council; Socialists Out" ''Milwaukee Journal'' April 5, 1944; p.1, col. 5</ref> He was now a [vice-chairman](/source/vice-chairman) of the Wisconsin Socialist Party [central committee](/source/central_committee), and became the Socialist candidate for state senate against incumbent (and former Socialist) [George Hampel](/source/George_Hampel_(legislator)), who ran without any party affiliation; with both of them losing in November to Democrat [Edward W. Reuther](/source/Edward_W._Reuther).<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1946 Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1946'' Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1946; pp. 525, 673: Reuther 22,163 votes; Republican Arthur H. Schroeder 17,272; Hampel 4,222; and Ruffing 3,112]</ref> In 1946, he ran for his old seat in the Assembly, coming in third to Republican [Clyde Follansbee](/source/Clyde_Follansbee) and Democrat [John Schaller](/source/John_Schaller).<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1948 Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. ''The Wisconsin blue book, 1948'' Madison: State of Wisconsin, 1948; p. 682]</ref> In 1949, he returned to his old employment as an annexation solicitor under new Socialist mayor [Frank P. Zeidler](/source/Frank_P._Zeidler); and in June 1950 he was elected to succeed Zeidler as state [chairman](/source/chairman) of the Socialist Party.<ref>"Name Ruffing Socialist Chief: Takes Zeidler Post" ''Milwaukee Journal'' June 19, 1950; p. 12, col. 1</ref>

He died on September 6, 1958, in Milwaukee, a fact memorialized by an Assembly [joint resolution](/source/joint_resolution) in 2005.<ref>[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2005/related/proposals/ajr5/_18 ''2005 Assembly JOINT RESOLUTION 5'' "Relating to: the life and public service of Alex C. Ruffing."]</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffing, Alex C.}}
Category:1892 births
Category:1958 deaths
Category:American machinists
Category:Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin
Category:Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Category:Wisconsin state senators
Category:Milwaukee Common Council members
Category:20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alex C. Ruffing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_C._Ruffing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_C._Ruffing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.