Thomas A. Loftus

Tom Loftus was born in Stoughton, Wisconsin, on April 24, 1945. He was raised and educated in Dane County, graduating from Sun Prairie High School in 1963. He served in the United States Army for two years in the midst of the Vietnam War before returning to his education in Wisconsin.^[1] He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in 1970, and immediately went on to complete his Master of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1971.^[1]

Loftus became involved in politics with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from an early age, and went to work as a legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Assembly immediately after completing his education. For two years, he was an administrative aide to Assembly speaker Norman C. Anderson. In the spring of 1976, he worked as a campaign organizer for Mo Udall during his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.^[2]

Later that year, incumbent state representative David D. O'Malley announced he would not run for another term in the Assembly, and Loftus decided to enter the race to succeed him. He faced three other candidates in the Democratic primary, but prevailed with nearly 47% of the vote. He defeated Republican Shirley Thompson in the general election.^[3] Loftus went on to win six more terms in the Assembly.

Loftus began looking to move into caucus leadership in his second term. He challenged R. Michael Ferrall for his role as assistant majority leader before the start of the 1979 session, but lost that election. Later in that term, Loftus made a bid for majority leader when James W. Wahner resigned, but he again fell short in the early rounds of the caucus vote.^[4] Loftus finally won a leadership position after the 1980 general election, defeating Thomas A. Hauke to become Assembly majority leader.^[5] Two years later, he was unanimously elected speaker.^[6]

He ultimately became the longest-serving Democratic speaker in Wisconsin history, serving four terms. Loftus frequently sparred with Republican governor Tommy Thompson after his election in 1986, and by the summer of 1989 the Wisconsin political press was already expecting Loftus to challenge Thompson in the 1990 gubernatorial election.^[7] Loftus did ultimately challenge Thompson in the election. He faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination but fell far short in the general election, receiving just 42% of the vote.^[8]

After losing the gubernatorial election, Loftus took a short break from politics to teach, first spending a semester at the Harvard Institute of Politics,^[9] then spending a semester at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.^[10]

Loftus returned to politics in early 1992, when he endorsed Bill Clinton in his presidential primary campaign, and then became chairman of Clinton's Wisconsin campaign organization.^[11] Shortly after Clinton won the presidency, Loftus was nominated to become United States Ambassador to Norway.^[12] His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 3, 1993.^[13][14][15]

Loftus served as ambassador for four years, stepping down in December 1997 to significant acclaim. Before leaving Norway, he was presented with the Grand Cross, the highest order of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, by King Harald V.^[16] He quickly accepted another diplomatic post, however, becoming a special advisor to the director-general of the World Health Organization in Geneva. He also became outspoken back in Wisconsin on diplomatic causes, advocating for the United States to support the admission of Poland and the Baltic states into the European Union.^[17]

After Clinton left office, Loftus became a representative of the World Health Organization in the United States. He remained active in state politics as a senior statesman, admonishing state government for recent ethical problems. He also reconciled with his former rival, Tommy Thompson, who was then serving as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.^[18] During these years, Loftus endorsed a number of ethics reforms in the state and partnered with former Republican governor Lee S. Dreyfus in supporting the creation of WisconsinEye, a nonprofit cable network covering the state government.^[19][20] In 2005, Loftus was appointed to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents by governor Jim Doyle, and later that year he became president of WisconsinEye.^[21][22] Loftus remained involved in WisconsinEye through its launch in 2007. He remained on the board of regents until 2011, when he retired.^[23]

Loftus still resides in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and has remained outspoken about international affairs, frequently writing a guest column in the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times.^[24][25] After Tommy Thompson was chosen interim president of the University of Wisconsin System, in 2020, he selected Loftus as an advisor to help him prepare for the job.^[26]

Tom Loftus was one of four children born to Adolph Loftus and his wife Margaret Elaine (née Nielsen). Both parents were the children of immigrants, Adolph's parents had emigrated from Norway. Margaret's father had come from Denmark.^[27]

Tom Loftus married Barbara Carolyn Schasse on August 23, 1969.^[28] They had at least two children together.^[29]