Henry J. Berquist

Henry Joseph Berquist (February 26, 1905 – May 1, 1990) was an American politician and political candidate in Wisconsin. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1936 and served three terms from 1937 - 1942 as a Progressive Party bloc member representing Florence, Forest and Oneida counties [Wisconsin Blue Book 1937, 1939 and 1941 editions]. He was the State Secretary of the Interim Committee of Land Utilization Policy and Reforestation. In 1942, he was the Progressive Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. on the ticket with Orland S. Loomis. He lost to incumbent and future Governor of Wisconsin Walter Samuel Goodland. He resigned from the assembly and enlisted in the United States Army Nov. 24th, 1942, where he served 33 months first as a private then as a Sergeant. He was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and was held as a German P.O.W. for 4 1/2 months until being liberated by General Patton's Third Army. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the ETO Ribbon with two battle stars, Combat Infantryman's Badge and a Distinguished Unit Citation. In 1946, Berquist was a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 10th congressional district, losing to incumbent Alvin O'Konski. Later, he was a candidate for Governor of Wisconsin. He lost to incumbent Oscar Rennebohm. Berquist was twice a candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, losing to incumbent Marvin E. Dillman in 1956 and to Paul Alfonsi in 1958. In 1960, Berquist ran for the Wisconsin State Senate. He lost to incumbent Clifford Krueger. Berquist was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the superintendent and foreman for the Northlands Fur and Packing Company. Berquist also worked with trunk gardening. He lived in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.