Representative John Charles Schafer

John Charles Schafer served as a Representative from Wisconsin in the United States Congress from 1923 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, John Charles Schafer contributed to the legislative process during 6 terms in office.

John Charles Schafer’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the House of Representatives, John Charles Schafer participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

John Charles Schafer (May 7, 1893 – June 9, 1962) was an American railroad operator and Republican politician from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin’s 4th congressional district from 1923 to 1933, and from 1939 to 1941. Initially a member of the progressive faction of Republicans, Schafer fell out with progressive leadership after the death of U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and then became a supporter of the stalwart faction. Late in his career, he drifted into extreme anti-communism and was a defender of the Nazi German American Bund in the lead-up to World War II. Schafer was a member of the Steuben Society, a German American group that later came out in favor of Nazism. Earlier in his career, he served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1921). He was noted for his large physical presence, booming voice, and pompadour hairstyle; he was described as weighing 270 lbs in 1928.