Ruth Bachhuber Doyle

Ruth Bachhuber Doyle (born Ruth Mabel Bachhuber; ) was an American educator and Democratic politician. She served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of Madison during the 1949 and 1951 sessions. She was the wife of federal judge James Edward Doyle and the mother of Jim Doyle, the 44th governor of Wisconsin.

Her father, Frank E. Bachhuber, grandfather, Andrew Bachhuber, and great-grandfather, Max Bachhuber, also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Early life Ruth Bachhuber was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 14, 1916, to Mabel (née Foley) and Frank E. Bachhuber. She went to elementary and high schools in Wausau, Wisconsin. Doyle received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1938 and a Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1939. She became the fourth generation of her family to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly following her father, Frank E. Bachhuber, grandfather, Andrew Bachhuber, and great-grandfather, Max Bachhuber. She also served as an assistant to the Dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Awards and legacy The James E. and Ruth B. Doyle Chair is an endowed professorship at the University of Wisconsin Law School named for Doyle and her husband. In 1990, the Madison School Board named the district's administration building after her.