Harold Vernon Froehlich

For an American engineer, see Harold E. Froehlich

Harold Vernon Froehlich (born May 12, 1932) is a retired U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.

Biography
Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Froehlich served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. In 1959, Froehlich graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison and then received his law degree in 1962. Froelhich served in the Wisconsin State Assembly 1963-1973 and served as speaker. He was elected in 1972 to the 93rd United States Congress replacing the retired John W. Byrnes. He represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district serving from January 3, 1973 till January 3, 1975. He lost his reelection bid to the following congress to Democratic Party member Robert John Cornell. Harold Froehlich voted for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon while on the House Judiciary Committee. Harold Froehlich was appointed a circuit court judge in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, in 1981, and served until he retired from the bench on April 8, 2011.

Toilet paper panic
Froehlich represented a district in which the paper industry is a major employer. Prompted by concern from the industry, on December 11, 1973, Froehlich issued a press release declaring, "The U.S. may face a shortage of toilet paper within a few months," and alluded to rationing as a possible solution. The release made it into major newspapers and to Johnny Carson. On December 19, Carson told his audience of tens of millions in his Tonight Show monologue that there was a shortage of toilet paper. Primed by recent shortages of other kinds of paper along with gasoline and meat, consumers went out the next day and hoarded toilet paper, emptying store shelves. The run on toilet paper continued for three weeks, until consumers saw that stores were being restocked and that there was therefore no shortage.