Governor Tony Evers on Saturday ordered the flags of Wisconsin and the United States to fly at half-staff in honor of former state lawmaker and judge Fred Kessler, who died earlier this week.
Kessler served in the State Assembly for 24 years, between 1961 and 2019, and stepped down to serve as a judge in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, he teamed up with Milwaukee School Board member Leon Todd to establish three language immersion elementary schools in the city.
He returned to the State Assembly in 2004 and lost a re-election bid in 2018.
Representative Evan Goyke (D-18th District), State Representative Frederick Kessler (D-12th District) and Representative-elect Mandela Barnes (D-11th District) speak at a press conference at City Hall in Milwaukee, December 18, 2012.
His daughter, Liza Kessler, said he enjoyed working behind the scenes on legislation, especially on bills related to public education, civil liberties, fair housing, LGBTQ rights, free speech, personal privacy and redistricting reform.
“His fundamental value… what he believed in was helping people who weren’t in as socially privileged a position as he was, and really trying to make the world more just and equitable,” she said.
Funeral services were scheduled for Saturday for Kessler. Flags are ordered to fly at half-mast until sunset on Saturday.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why are flags at half-staff in Wisconsin today?
