Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus

LEE SHERMAN DREYFUS was born in Milwaukee. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, Dreyfus returned to Wisconsin and entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1949, a master’s degree in 1952, and a doctorate in communication in 1957. From 1949 to 1952, Dreyfus was an instructor in the University of Wisconsin-Extension speech department. From 1952 to 1962, he was a professor of mass communications at Wayne State University. In 1962 he returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a professor of speech and radio-television education. He also managed the university’s public television station and chaired the university’s radio-television-film division. In 1967 Dreyfus became the ninth president of Wisconsin State University-Stevens Point (UW-SP) and served until 1972 when he was named as the first chancellor of UW-SP following the merger of the UW System. He served as chancellor until 1978 when he ran for governor of Wisconsin. Dreyfus declined to run for re-election in 1982.