John L. Merkt

John L. Merkt
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office January 1977 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Frederick C. Schroeder
Constituency	12th District (1977-1983) 58th District (1983-1988)
Personal details
Born	(1946-10-02)October 2, 1946 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	April 1, 2009(2009-04-01) (aged 62) Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Education	Marquette University University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (BS)

John L. Merkt (October 2, 1946 – April 1, 2009)^[1] was an American politician. Merkt served as local ward committeeman from 1974 to 1976. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1976 and served until 1988.^[2]

Biography[]

John L. Merkt was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a graduate of Marquette University High School. He attended Marquette University from 1964 to 1968 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education, from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in 1971.

Career[]

John Merkt was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1976 and served for over a decade. In 1995, in collaboration with then State Representative, State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser Jr. and Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, John Merkt helped push the creation of Miller Park in Milwaukee.^[3]

Among his other efforts, Merkt worked to toughen seatbelt legislation and raise the minimum drinking age, from 18 to 19, and later to 21. He also worked to tighten laws and penalties regarding the sale or possession of drugs, especially cocaine; including tripling the mandatory sentence from 12 months' incarceration to 36 months' incarceration for those found guilty of possession or sales of cocaine within 500 feet (150 m) of a school zone. He also wrote Wisconsin's Len Bias Law, which makes providing drugs that prove fatal to be considered manslaughter.

Death[]

A longtime sufferer of lupus, Merkt died of congestive heart failure at his home on April 1, 2009.^[4]

References[]