Donald W. Steinmetz, who served on the state Supreme Court for 19 years, died last weekend.The Milwaukee native was 88 years old.
According to a release from the court, Steinmetz graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1951, then spent seven years in private practice. He held jobs in the Milwaukee city attorney’s office, the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office, and served as a county judge and a circuit court judge. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1980, and reelected in 1990.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson issued a statement, saying Justice Steinmetz “dedicated much of his professional life as a lawyer to public service” and “served well.”
Gov. Scott Walker also issued a statement Wednesday, saying “it should not go unnoticed that Justice Steinmetz also bravely served our nation in the United States Air Force as a bombardier navigator from 1943 until the end of the Second World War.”
