A Wisconsin Political Trivia Quiz

Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by Dave Reid.

It won’t rival the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song, but here’s something to provide a respite from the constant grind of international, national and state news: a Wisconsin political trivia quiz. No prizes, but if you get all 12 right you know way too much about the state.

#1. What is the 30-feet decorated balsam fir tree in the Capitol Rotunda called?

1. Christmas tree
2. holiday tree
3. learning tree
4. all of the above

#2. Which former Wisconsin Congressman was a college quarterback?

1. Scott Klug
2. James Sensenbrenner
3. Ron Kind
4. Tom Petri

#3. How many former Wisconsin governors are still alive?

1. six
2. two
3. three
4. five

#4. Which former Wisconsin governor served in the Peace Corps before starting his political career?

1. Lee Sherman Dreyfus
2. Martin Schreiber
3. Tony Earl
4. Jim Doyle

#5. In 1837, the territorial Legislature met in which city outside of what is now Wisconsin?

1. Burlington, Iowa
2. Galena, Illinois
3. Dubuque, Iowa
4. La Crescent, Minnesota

#6. In the 1840s, territories needed at least 60,000 residents to become a state. How many residents did Wisconsin have when it became a state in 1848?

1. 63,159
2. 102,512
3. 155,277
4. 189,006

#7. How did the February 1904 fire that destroyed the second Capitol building start?

1. cow kicked over a lantern
2. worker’s discarded cigarette
3. campfire started by cold UW students on the Capitol grounds got out of control
4. gas jet ignited newly varnished ceiling

#8. The wing-by-wing remodeling of the current Capitol, which included adding air conditioning and refurbishing the basement for Capitol Police and other offices, took from 1988 until 2002. How much did that remodeling cost?

1. $750 million
2. $158.8 million
3. $378 million
4.  $95.6 million

#9. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is the longest-serving leader of the Assembly in Wisconsin history. The Republican will have served as speaker for how many years when the current session ends next spring?

1. 8 years
2. 14 years
3. 18 years
4. 20 years

#10. What was the occupation of Raymond Evers, father of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers?

1. accountant
2. farmer
3. physician
4. lawyer

#11. What error by Illinois officials meant Wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote? Three states — Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan — voted to ratify the amendment on June 10, 1919.

1. driver taking certification of Illinois vote to Washington D.C. got in an accident
2. a paperwork error required a second Illinois vote
3. Washington, D.C., office was closed for weekend when notice of Illinois ratification arrived
4. the train carrying official notice of Illinois ratification to Washington, D.C., delayed

#12. What was the first election in which the governor and lieutenant governor were elected jointly, and not separately as specified in the state’s first Constitution?

1. 1970
2. 1980
3. 1988
4. 1992

Answers

#1. (D) All of the above. Assembly Republicans have passed resolutions calling it a Christmas tree. Democrats have labeled it a holiday tree. Gov. Tony Evers says it’s a Learning Tree this year in keeping with him declaring 2025 the “Year of the Kid.”

#2. (C) Former Congressman Ron Kind played quarterback for Harvard in the 1980s.

#3. (D) Five. Democrats Martin Schreiber and Jim Doyle and Republicans Tommy Thompson, Scott McCallum and Scott Walker.

#4. (D) After graduating from Harvard Law School, Doyle provided education and legal service in the Peace Corps in Tunisia and on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona.

#5. (A) Burlington, Iowa.

#6. (C) 155,277.

#7. (D) Gas jet ignited newly varnished ceiling.

#8. (B) $158.8 million

#9. (B) Speaker Robin Vos will finish his 14th year as Assembly speaker when the Legislature adjourns next year. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2004.

#10. (C) Physician. According to a Sheboygan Press story honoring the governor’s father, “Raymond Evers moved to Plymouth in 1950 and was medical director of Rocky Knoll Sanitorium and Hospital — now Rocky Knoll Health Care Center — until his retirement in 1982. He lived in the doctor’s residence on the property with his family.”

#11. (B) Paperwork error required a second Illinois vote.

#12. (A) The 1970 election for governor included two major changes: Governors would serve four-year terms and the governor and lieutenant governor would be elected jointly.

You can now fill any holiday reception conversation gap with a nugget of Wisconsin political trivia. You’re welcome.

Steven Walters started covering the Capitol in 1988. Contact him at stevenscotwalters@gmail.com.