Representative John Casimir Kleczka

John Casimir Kleczka (May 6, 1885 – April 21, 1959) was a Polish American lawyer, judge, and Republican politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who became the first Polish American elected to the United States Congress. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a family of Polish heritage, he was raised in the city’s growing Polish American community and educated in local parochial schools, an experience that grounded him in both his ethnic traditions and the civic life of his hometown.

Kleczka pursued higher education at Marquette University in Milwaukee, from which he was graduated in 1905. Seeking further professional training, he undertook postgraduate studies in law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was admitted to the bar in 1909 and commenced the practice of law in Milwaukee, establishing himself as a young attorney at a time when the city’s immigrant communities were gaining political influence.

Kleczka entered public life early in his legal career. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate and served from 1909 to 1913, representing his Milwaukee constituency in the state legislature. During this period he also participated in national party politics, serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1912. After his term in the State Senate, he continued his involvement in the judicial system as commissioner of the circuit court of Milwaukee County from 1914 to 1918, a position that deepened his experience in court administration and legal procedure.

With the United States’ involvement in World War I and its aftermath, Kleczka also undertook military-related legal responsibilities. He served as a major judge advocate in the United States Army Reserves after the First World War, reflecting both his legal expertise and his engagement with national service during a period of significant global and domestic change.

Kleczka’s national political career began with his election as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives. He was elected from Wisconsin’s 4th congressional district to the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1919, to March 4, 1923. In winning the Republican nomination, he unseated incumbent Representative William J. Cary, who had been one of fifty members of the House to vote against declaring war on Germany, a stance that had become politically contentious in the postwar climate. As a member of the House of Representatives during this significant period in American history, Kleczka participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his Milwaukee constituents, and contributed to the work of Congress during two full terms in office. His tenure marked a milestone as he was the first Polish American elected to Congress, symbolizing the growing political integration and influence of Polish immigrants and their descendants in the United States. He did not seek renomination in 1922 and returned to the private practice of law in Milwaukee after leaving Congress.

Kleczka resumed his legal career following his congressional service, practicing law until he reentered judicial office at the county level. In 1930 he was elected a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He served on the Wisconsin circuit court for nearly twenty-three years, presiding over a wide range of civil and criminal matters and becoming a long-standing figure in the Milwaukee judiciary. His judicial service continued until 1953, when he retired from the bench due to ill health.

Even after his formal retirement as a circuit court judge, Kleczka remained active in the legal community. In 1957 he was appointed a conciliation judge and court commissioner by the circuit judges of Milwaukee County, positions in which he continued to assist in the administration of justice and the resolution of disputes. He served in these roles until his death.

John Casimir Kleczka died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 21, 1959. He was interred in St. Adalbert’s Cemetery in Milwaukee. His career spanned service in the Wisconsin State Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the Wisconsin circuit courts, and he is remembered as a pioneering Polish American officeholder who played a notable role in both state and national public life.