Theodore Rodolf

Theodore Rodolf (October 17, 1814 – February 12, 1892) was a Swiss American immigrant, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 10th and 12th mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and represented La Crosse for two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

His brother, Charles Rodolf, also served in the Wisconsin Legislature.

Biography Rodolf was born on October 17, 1814, in Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Zurich before emigrating to the United States in 1834. He settled in the area that is now Lafayette County, Wisconsin—at the time, the area was still part of the Michigan Territory. He died in La Crosse on February 12, 1892, after an illness lasting more than a year.

His brother, Charles Rodolf, was a member of the Assembly and of the Wisconsin Senate.

Career While living in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, he served as village president in 1851 and 1852. He was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys at La Crosse, Wisconsin, by President Franklin Pierce in 1853, and served in that role until 1861.

Rodolf was elected to the Assembly running on the Democratic Party ticket in 1867. The next year, rather than running for re-election, he was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. He lost to incumbent Cadwallader C. Washburn, but went on to win back his seat in the Assembly in the 1869 election. During the same time, he was elected mayor of La Crosse in the 1868 and 1870 Spring elections.