Gary George (Wisconsin politician)

Gary R. George (born March 8, 1954) is an African American lawyer and former politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Democrat, he represented Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Senate for nearly 23 years. He faced a series of ethical and criminal controversies throughout his political career before finally being recalled from office in 2003. He subsequently plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges in which he admitted receiving kickbacks from individuals and organizations after he had directed state or federal funds to them; he served three years in federal prison. He was also implicated in the Vang Pao Laotian coup plot, but was never charged.

Gary George was born and raised, and lived most of his life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University High School, received his bachelor's in business administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 1979.^[1][2][3]

George made his first run for public office shortly after graduating from law school. He launched a primary challenge in 1980 against Democratic incumbent state senator Monroe Swan—Wisconsin's first African American state senator—in the 6th State Senate district. Swan was already a controversial figure in the state, and his chances of re-election were badly damaged when he was indicted by federal prosecutors in July 1980.^[4] George defeated Swan in the September 1980 primary election, receiving 60% of the vote. He went on to easily win the general election over Republican Joseph Barrington, in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.^[5] After winning another contested primary against Monroe Swan in 1984, he was elected to five more terms in the Wisconsin Senate facing no opposition until the 2003 recall which ended his career.^[3]

In the Senate, George served in several important positions. He was Senate co-chair of the powerful budget-writing Joint Finance Committee from 1984 through 1993 and later served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. After several years of feuding with Democratic leadership in the mid-1990s, they reconciled after the 1998 election, allowing him to serve as President President pro tempore of the Senate, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and co-chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in the 1999 and 2001 sessions.^[3] Despite being a Democratic senator in a heavily Democratic district, George was seen as frequently aligning with the budget priorities of the Republican governor Tommy Thompson, so much so that there was public speculation that George was seeking favors from the Thompson administration.^[6]

He faced his first recall effort during his second term, in 1986, when a group of his constituents became outraged at comments he made in support of Republican president Ronald Reagan and Reagan administration programs. He made the comments during a brief run for the Democratic nomination for United States senate that year. In September, the recall campaign submitted petitions containing nearly 10,000 signatures to the state elections board seeking George's recall. George and his team then engaged in a successful campaign to challenge the validity of the petitions. One signature-collector, Anthony Morales, was found to not be a resident of the district, and therefore all of the 2,103 signatures he collected were thrown out. Another 1,157 signatures were found to be from voters who did not live in George's district. After those disqualifications, the recall was left with just 6,675 signatures, short of the 6,959 needed to trigger a recall.^[7]

Following a two-year investigation, George was found to be one of a dozen lawmakers who accepted small amounts of money from lobbyists in violation of state ethics laws. George was accused of receiving $120 total from two lobbyists, and improperly accepting a free hotel room and meals from another lobbyist. He was fined $1,907 and ordered to serve 200 hours of community service.^[8] It was later found that he counted some of his legislative duties as his community service and billed the state $64 per day for some of the activities.

George's wife, Mary, filed for divorce in October 1990, and the matter immediately became quite messy and public. A court commissioner quickly made the determination that the couple had already been living beyond their financial means.^[9] With the divorce still unresolved the following Spring, George filed a lawsuit against his estranged wife and her alleged lover, accusing them of ambushing him after he came to install a basketball hoop at the home he had previously shared with his wife and children—George had moved out during the divorce.^[10] Mary George countered with accusations that George had instigated the fight and had struck and kicked her during the melee. The Ozaukee County district attorney investigated and decided to bring charges against Gary George for misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct.^[11] Gary George sought to negotiate a deal with his ex-wife, agreeing on final terms for their divorce in exchange for her agreement to drop the criminal complaint against him. The district attorney, however, was not a party to the agreement and refused to end the criminal case, and the judge overseeing the case later determined that the district attorney was not bound by the agreement.^[12] Trial motions stretched through much of 1992, before finally resulting in a jury acquittal in October.^[13] Despite his legal problems, George did not face an opponent in either the primary or the general election in 1992.^[14] Despite having no opponent, George raised campaign funds and paid thousands of dollars to a company headed by a close friend.

George came under criminal investigation again in 1993 after a check-cashing company that he had founded defaulted. State banking examiners subsequently discovered a $100,000 shortfall in the accounts of the company, known as First Currency Exchange, and referred the matter to the Milwaukee County District Attorney. The company separately came under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service for an alleged check kiting scheme. George had founded the company in 1983 and claimed that he turned over control to his brother, Mark, in 1984, to avoid conflicts of interest with his legislative duties. Several former employees of the company, however, attested that Gary George had retained total control of the company. One employee stated: "We took our orders from Gary. Gary made all of the decisions about First Currency. All of those decisions were final."^[15] Shortly after the reports of the criminal investigation, George was named in two lawsuits against the company by banks who had lent money to the business.^[16] Later that year, George sued Milwaukee Checkcashers, the company which had agreed to acquire ownership of First Currency Exchange around the time of the default. George alleged that the financial trouble had been caused by Milwaukee Checkcashers' delay in paying off a loan in violation of the terms of the sale. The formal completion of the sale, however, was held up over technical disputes.^[17] The state ethics board also began its own investigation and, in September 1995, recommended criminal charges for failing to disclose his interest in and income from the business.^[18]

Despite the criminal and ethical problems, George again faced no opposition in his run for re-election in 1996. The 1996 election resulted in the Democrats regaining a one-seat majority in the Senate, but George became livid after the Democratic leadership refused to reappoint him as chairman of the Joint Finance Committee. Before the start of the 1997 session, George took the extraordinary step of negotiating with the Republican minority caucus in an attempt to obtain his desired leadership position.^[19] George ultimately could not reach an agreement with the Republicans, as he would not agree to join the Republican Party.^[20] But George never fully reconciled with Democratic leader Charles Chvala, and their feud would nurture a schism in the caucus that would hamstring the Democratic agenda in the Legislature for the next four years.^[21] In 1998, George quoted United States Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, saying that Chvala had engaged in a "high-tech lynching" against him.^[22] The Dane County district attorney investigating George was appointed a Wisconsin circuit court judge by Governor Tommy Thompson in 1997 before he resolved the case, the Republican that Thompson appointed to fill the district attorney's office continued to neglect the case.^[23] George ultimately never faced federal charges from the First Currency affair, but he did eventually face a tax judgement against him from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in 2011.^[24]

In June 1998, George announced his campaign for Governor of Wisconsin, running in the Democratic primary. His opponent in the race was political newcomer, Madison lawyer Ed Garvey, who was best known for his role as an attorney for the NFL players' union. Garvey had rallied Democrats, unions, and related interest groups against the Republican incumbent Tommy Thompson, who was seeking a fourth term as governor, but George accused him of being another member of the "Madison boys club" that he alleged held undue power over the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Throughout the primary, George faced accusations that his campaign was intended to derail the Democratic ticket as a favor to Thompson.^[25] George ultimately only received 20% of the primary vote, and Garvey was badly beaten in the general election, receiving only 39% of the vote.^[26]

The 1998 election also gave Republicans control of the state Assembly, but left Democrats with a one-seat majority in the Senate. Democratic leaders in the Senate elected to try to reconcile with George, rather than risk him switching parties and giving Republicans full control of state government. They made him president pro tempore of the Senate, chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, and co-chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.^[27]

In December 1998, Dane County district attorney Diane Nicks announced she was turning over Gary George's five-year old ethics investigation to the Attorney General of Wisconsin Jim Doyle.^[28]

After reconciling with Chvala and Senate Democrats, George had a productive session in the 94th Wisconsin Legislature, speaking in favor of Wisconsin Public Television, firearm trigger locks, employment waivers for certain food stamp recipients, and emergency legislation for dairy farmers. By the fall of 2000, George had begun forming an exploratory committee to run for governor again in the 2002 election.^[29] George campaigned extensively around the state through 2001 and 2002, but ultimately he did not make the ballot for the Democratic Primary. The state elections board determined that at least 221 names or addresses on his nominating petitions were falsified.^[30][31] Although the petitions were obviously flawed, some in the state political media saw the involvement of a former Charles Chvala aide as an indication that their old feud had been renewed.^[32]

Allies of George also blamed his Milwaukee rival in the race, congressman Tom Barrett. George threw his support behind Jim Doyle, delivering a significant portion of the African American vote in southeastern Wisconsin in both the primary and general elections.^[33]

Early in the 2003 legislative term, a sharp conflict emerged between the new Democratic governor Jim Doyle and the Republican legislature over a gambling regulation bill. Traditionally, the governor had a free hand in negotiating gaming agreements with the 11 Indian nations which operated casinos in Wisconsin. With a Democrat now in the governor's office, the Republican legislature passed a bill to require legislative approval of such gaming agreements. Doyle vetoed the Republican bill, saying that such a law would make it impossible for the state to renew gaming contracts. Republicans were determined to override the veto with Democratic crossover votes. Ultimately, the veto override fell one vote short in the Senate, with George voting alongside the Republicans.^[34]

After all of the controversies of his career, this veto override vote would be the last straw.^[35] The vote was unpopular in his district, but more importantly it caused a schism with Milwaukee's powerful black media mogul Jerrel Jones. Years earlier, he had lamented Gary George as one of the state's most gifted black politicians, but one who was just too interested in making money. Nevertheless, Jones had loyally supported and defended George through his many controversies. Jones was owner of the Milwaukee Courier and WVON radio station, and also a member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation, which distributed millions in charitable funds from gambling profits.^[36] Jones leveraged his wealth and his media operation to launch a recall campaign against George. At the time, Jones stated, "You could probably name 20 or 30 things he probably should have been recalled for. It's an accumulation of 20 years of doing nothing for the community and doing everything for Gary George."^[37]

The Jones-backed recall campaign turned in 14,395 signatures, more than 150% of the required total. Like the 1986 recall, George attempted to throw out enough signatures to invalidate the petitions, but this time the numbers were insurmountable. On July 9, 2003, the state elections board ruled that the recall campaign had collected enough valid signatures to force a recall election, making George the second recalled state senator in Wisconsin history.^[38] George contested the petition signatures all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the court ultimately ruled against him.^[39]

At the recall primary in October 2003, George was soundly beaten by longtime state representative Spencer Coggs.^[40][41][42]

Just a month after losing the recall election, George was indicted in federal court for an elaborate conspiracy in which he was alleged to have received kickbacks from individuals and organizations to which he directed state and federal funds. He was also charged with using his state legislative aides for personal errands and other non-official business. Mark E. Sostarich, a lawyer who had long worked with and for George, plead guilty in the conspiracy and cooperated with the United States attorney, Steven M. Biskupic.^[43] Two months later, George entered a guilty plea and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors on further investigation into the scheme.^[44]

At his sentencing, George brought five boxes of plaques and awards to demonstrate his civic commitment. On August 5, 2004, United States district judge Rudolph T. Randa sentenced George to four years in federal prison.^[1]

The investigation ultimately brought down several other lawmakers, including George's longtime antagonist, Charles Chvala.^[45]

George ultimately served about three years in prison, and was then discharged to a halfway house. During that time, George was also implicated in the Vang Pao Laotian coup plot, stemming from a corrupt relationship he maintained with leaders in the Wisconsin Hmong community.^[46] George was never charged in the Laotian plot.^[47]

In 2008, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that George would be eligible to re-apply for his license to practice law.^[48] He ultimately regained his license in 2010.^[49]

George's tax problems stemming from the 1993 collapse of First Currency Exchange finally caught up to him in 2011, with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue seeking $91,000 in back taxes.^[24]

George made a bid for a return to political office in 2014, when he launched a primary challenge against his former state senate colleague, U.S. representative Gwen Moore. At the time, he stated he was running "in response to citizen demands for stronger leadership from Milwaukee's political community."^[50] He lost badly in the August 2014 primary, receiving just 29% of the vote.^[51] He ran again in 2016 and 2018, with similar results.^[52][53][54]

George continues to work as a lawyer in southeast Wisconsin.

Gary George married Mary Cook in 1978. They had two sons together before their messy divorce in 1990–1991. Mary ultimately remarried with Peter Igel, who was the other person involved in the criminal battery case in 1991.^[13]

He subsequently married Patricia Schulz. He had two more children with his second wife. They now reside in Grafton, Wisconsin.

• George, Gary R. 1954 at Wisconsin Historical Society
• Gary George at Ballotpedia
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Official website (Archived Dec. 8, 2003)
• FEC campaign contribution data:
  • 1986 Senate campaign
  • 1994 Senate campaign
  • 2014 House campaign
  • 2016 House campaign
  • 2018 House campaign