Bernhard Gettelman

Bernhard "Benny" Gettelman (December 23, 1889 – August 30, 1965) was an American Republican politician. He served 27 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Milwaukee, and earlier served one term in the State Assembly.

Biography Gettelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at a young age. He worked for the Electric Company for ten years, and was then appointed a deputy sheriff in Milwaukee County.

In 1916 he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he authored the "Fireman's law". He did not run for a second term in 1918 and returned to the sheriff's office.

He resigned his Senate seat in April 1954 after he was appointed U.S. customs collector at Milwaukee by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He served in this role through the end of the Eisenhower administration and immediately began discussing a resumption of his political activities. He ran for his old seat in the State Senate in 1962, but was defeated by Democrat Charles J. Schmidt.

Gettelman died of pneumonia at a Milwaukee hospital on August 30, 1965.