Doyle,
Ruth Bachhuber
MADISON
- Ruth Bachhuber Doyle passed away on Saturday, May
6, 2006, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 89.
Born
in 1916, in Milwaukee and raised in Wausau, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle was the third child of
Frank E. Bachhuber and Mabel Foley. In 1940, she
married James E. Doyle, Sr. of Oshkosh, who she met at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison who later became U.S. District Court Judge. In 1948, as a
young mother of three, she became one of the first women elected to the
Wisconsin Legislature. She was the fourth generation of her family to serve in
the Wisconsin Assembly, following in the footsteps of her father (Frank E. Bachhuber, 1933), grandfather (Andrew Bachhuber,
1885), and great-grandfather (Max Bachhuber, 1860,
1864 and 1875). The Bachhubers remain the only four
generation family in Wisconsin history to win election to the state
Legislature. With her husband, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle
helped rebuild the Democratic Party in Wisconsin. When she was elected to
the Assembly, she was the first Democrat in decades and the first woman ever to
represent Madison. Assemblywoman Doyle tried in 1951 to secure employment for a
female applicant to the Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms staff. The Sergeant at the
time refused to hire a woman, claiming that women would distract the male
legislators. In 1952, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle ran
unsuccessfully for State Treasurer, becoming one of the first women to ever run
on her own for statewide office. She went on to serve with distinction as the
only female member of the Dane County Board and was the first female president
of the Madison School Board. In 1990, the School Board named the district's
administration building in her honor. She is also recalled warmly by thousands
of lawyers in the state for her notable service as longtime assistant to the
Dean of the UW-Madison Law School. While at the University, she helped launch a
successful initiative to recruit and retain minority students. She stayed in
close touch with many of these students over the years, serving as a mentor and
a friend.
The
Ruth Bachhuber Doyle Award is given annually to
recognize the outstanding student contribution to the law school community. The
James E. and Ruth B. Doyle chair is an endowed professorship that honors both
her and her husband's signal service to the Law School. Ruth Bachhuber Doyle's commitment to education also came through
in her work as a schoolteacher in the Oregon school district. It was part of a
long and diverse career that showed that women could be successful in many
fields. Doyle taught her children to never shy away from a challenge, and was
proud that her three daughters and her son went on to successful law careers.
In 2003, though suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, she attended the inauguration of her son as
Wisconsin's 44th governor.
She
is survived by three daughters, Mary, Catherine, Anne; and her son, James; son-in-law, James Brudney;
daughter-in-law, Jessica Laird Doyle; eight grandchildren, Gus and Gabe Doyle,
Joseph Pickman, Ruth and Nelle
Rohlich, Edward, Henry, and Rose Brudney;
great-grandson, Asiah Doyle; and a sister, Mary
(Alan) Simmons. Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, James E. Doyle Sr.;
and two brothers, Frank Bachhuber, and Dick Bachhuber.
A
visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 8, 2006, at CRESS
FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison.
A
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2006, at
OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 401 S. Owen Dr., Madison with Msgr.
Kenneth Fiedler presiding. Friends may greet the family from 10 a.m. until time
of services on Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are
appreciated to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, Scholarship Fund, PO Box 8860, Madison, WI 53791. The family would like to
thank the staff at Attic Angels for their many years of loving care.
Cress
Funeral & Cremation Service 3610 Speedway Road (608) 238-3434
www.cressfuneralservice.com