Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr.

Few lawmakers have played a larger role in shaping public policy in the U.S. during the last half-century than Jim Sensenbrenner.

Sensenbrenner devoted his entire career to public service, first in the Wisconsin State Legislature, then as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 until his retirement in 2021. His 42-year tenure in the House is the longest congressional tenure in state history.

Among the many highlights of his career in Congress was his leadership in the reauthorization of and amendments to the Voting Rights Act, his many years of work on national security and civil liberties issues, and his support of legislation strengthening the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Sensenbrenner was born in Chicago and shortly thereafter moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin, with his family. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a law degree from University of Wisconsin Law School.

Sensenbrenner was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1968, then won a special election for the Wisconsin State Senate in 1975. He was elected to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978.

During his time in Congress, Sensenbrenner served as chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (1997–2001) and the House Committee on the Judiciary (2001–07). His many legislative achievements while House Judiciary Committee Chairman include the USA PATRIOT Act, the REAL ID Act, and an extension of the Voting Rights Act. He worked across the aisle to pass the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act and the Due Process Act. In 2013, he helped sway his Republican colleagues to support the USA Freedom Act, undoing what he saw as the excesses of intelligence gathering enabled by the USA PATRIOT Act.

Among his most memorable traits as an elected official, Sensenbrenner was widely known for his accessibility to voters — he averaged over 100 in-person town meetings a year in his district.