| Everett Bidwell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 27th district |
|
| In office January 3, 1970 – January 3, 1983 |
|
| Preceded by | Walter E. Terry |
| Succeeded by | Russell Feingold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 22, 1899 Houston, Minnesota |
| Died | January 7, 1991 (aged 91) Portage, Wisconsin |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
Everett V. "Cy" Bidwell (October 22, 1899 – January 7, 1991) was a Wisconsin politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and later Wisconsin Senate, serving the 27th Senate district of Wisconsin.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he was defeated for reelection by future United States Senator Russell Feingold.[2] While serving in the State Senate, Bidwell was the oldest serving legislator in the state.[3] As a Wisconsin state senator, Bidwell served as the chairman of the Committee on industry, labor, taxation, and banking and the Senate Committee on Commerce during the 1970s.[4]
Born in a log cabin in Houston, Minnesota on October 22, 1899, Bidwell was the eldest of seven children.[5] He was raised on a small farm, and at the age of 16 was left with his father to raise the family when his mother died. Bidwell attended the University of Minnesota and served on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors for 10 years. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1952 to 64,[6][7] and served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1970 to 1982.[6][8]
In his twenty-four years in the Wisconsin State Legislature, Bidwell earned the reputation as an "Irishman with a short fuse and an inability to carry a grudge for very long."[5] On the November 2, 1982 Senate Election day against Russ Feingold, Bidwell was declared the winner by a 19 vote margin.[2] The recount started the day after the election and continued for three weeks. Two days after the election, Sauk County, Wisconsin uncovered 64 votes for Feingold that had not been counted on election night.[9] Over 40 additional votes for Feingold were also found on a broken voting machine in a North Madison school. The lead see-sawed back and forth until the very end. When all the votes had been recounted, in what was considered a major Republican Party of Wisconsin upset, Feingold defeated Bidwell by just 31 votes.[2][9]
Bidwell died in Portage, Wisconsin, on January 7, 1991. A spokeswoman for Divine Savior Hospital in Portage said Bidwell died at 5:25 a.m. at the hospital from unspecified causes.[10]
| Preceded by Walter E. Terry |
Wisconsin State Senator - 27th District 1970 – 1982 |
Succeeded by Russell Feingold |