Pedro Colón

Pedro A. Colón (born April 7, 1968) is an American jurist and politician who currently serves as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee County. The first Latino elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, Colón was a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 8th assembly district, from 1999 to 2010.[1] In 2010, he was appointed to the circuit court by Governor Jim Doyle.

This article is about the American judge. For the Puerto Rican politician, see Pedro Colón Osorio.
For the Puerto Rican sailor, see Pedro Colón (sailor).
The Honorable

Pedro Colón
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 18
Assumed office
September 20, 2010
Appointed byJim Doyle
Preceded byPatricia D. McMahon
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 8th district
In office
January 1, 1999 – September 20, 2010
Preceded byWalter Kunicki
Succeeded byJoCasta Zamarripa
Personal details
Born (1968-04-07) April 7, 1968
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Betty Ulmer
Children2
ResidenceMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Alma materMarquette University
University of Wisconsin Law School
Professionattorney

Background

Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, April 7, 1968, Colón grew up on the South Side of Milwaukee and graduated from Thomas More High School in Milwaukee. He received his B.A. in political science from Marquette University in 1991, and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1994.[2]

Political history

He was first elected to the State Assembly in 1998, making him the first Latino to be elected a member of either house of the Wisconsin Legislature;[3] and was reelected in the next five elections. He served as Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance and of the Judiciary and Ethics Committee.

He briefly ran for Mayor of Milwaukee in 2003, but withdrew, endorsing and becoming co-chair of the campaign for eventual 2004 election winner Tom Barrett.[4] Colón also ran unsuccessfully for Milwaukee city attorney in 2008 against incumbent Grant Langley.

On May 26, 2010, Colón announced that he was not running for re-election in the 2010 general election, and resigned from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission, which he once chaired.[5] The next day, he confirmed that he was applying for a job as the deputy director of legal services at the District, and had resigned to avoid a potential conflict of interest.[6]

Wisconsin Circuit Judge

In September 2010, Governor Jim Doyle appointed Colón a Wisconsin Circuit Court judge for Milwaukee County.[7][8] He was elected to a full term in the April 5, 2011, spring election,[9][10] and was subsequently re-elected in 2017.

Personal life

He is married to Betty J. Ulmer; they have two daughters, Lily and Julia, and live in Walker's Point. Judge Colón is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.[11]

References
  1. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (2009). "Biographies" (PDF). In Barish, Lawrence S.; Lemanski, Lynn (eds.). State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-9752820-3-8. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. "Representative Pedro Colon - Biography". Wisconsin Legislature. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. Pabst, Georgia (November 8, 1998). "After a long campaign, Legislature's first Hispanic readies for next challenge". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  4. Borowski, Greg J. (September 3, 2003). "Colón bows out of mayor's race; Assemblyman endorses Barrett, will serve as campaign co-chair". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1B.
  5. Pabst, Georgia (May 27, 2010). "Colon, Newcomer won't seek another term: They join 21 other lawmakers who aren't running". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. Behm, Don (May 28, 2010). "Pedro Colon says he is applying for MMSD job". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  7. Durhams, Sharif; Marley, Patrick (September 15, 2010). "Doyle appoints Colón to Circuit Court judgeship". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  8. "Doyle appoints Pedro Colón to Circuit Court Judge". Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper. September 18, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  9. Canvass Results for 2011 Spring Election - 4/5/2011 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. April 19, 2011. p. 5. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. Szal, Andy (April 6, 2011). "Colon Holds On to Milwaukee County Court". Wispolitics.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  11. "About Representative Pedro Colón". Pedro Colon for State Assembly. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Walter Kunicki		 Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 8th district
January 1, 1999 – September 20, 2010		 Succeeded by
JoCasta Zamarripa
Legal offices
Preceded by
Patricia D. McMahon		 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 18
September 20, 2010 – present		 Incumbent
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