Paul Coulter Gartzke (October 6, 1927 – September 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and judge. He served 18 years as presiding judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Madison-based District IV court.

Quick Facts The Honorable, Presiding Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV ...

The Honorable Paul C. Gartzke
Presiding Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1996
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Charles P. Dykman
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1996
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Patience D. Roggensack
Personal details
Born	(1927-10-06)October 6, 1927 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died	September 25, 2009(2009-09-25) (aged 81) Madison, Wisconsin
Spouse	Waltraud Emilie Dorothea Denker ​ ​ (m. 1952)​
Children	Ann, Dan, Alice
Education	University of Iowa (B.S.) Harvard Law School (J.D.) University of Virginia School of Law (M.S.)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy U.S. Navy Reserve
Years of service	1945–1947 (USN) 1947–1949 (USNR)

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Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Gartzke attended school in the neighboring community of Shorewood, Wisconsin, and graduated from Shorewood High School in 1945.^[1][2][3] Immediately after graduation, Gartzke enlisted for service in the United States Navy. He received an honorable discharge after two years of service and remained in the United States Navy Reserve until 1949.^[2] He attended Milwaukee State Teachers College, then graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, earning his bachelor's degree in economics.^[1] He continued his education at Harvard Law School, where he received his law degree in 1952.^[2] He would return to school much later in life, earning his master's degree in judicial process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.^[2]

Shortly after his law school graduation, Gartzke joined a law practice in Madison, Wisconsin. He became a partner in the law firm in 1955, which was later known as Bieberstein, Cooper, Bruemmer, Gartzke & Hanson.^[1][2] In 1958, he was hired by the town of Madison to provide legal guidance in their attempt to thwart the annexation of several parts of their town to the city of Madison. The city of Madison already owned a large piece of the town's land and planned to use their voting power with that land to approve the annexation of a large and tax-rich industrial section of the town. Gartzke came to also represent the neighboring town of Fitchburg, which was also impacted by the annexation plan. Together the two towns attempted a plan to incorporate as a village to block the annexation. The dispute wound up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1960, which ultimately ruled in favor of the city of Madison, allowing the annexation.^[4] Although unsuccessful in their resistance, the situation and its resolution led to the eventual incorporation of the city of Fitchburg to block further annexations.

In 1977, Gartzke was elected president of the Dane County Bar Association. That same year, Wisconsin voters approved a series of referendums restructuring the state judiciary and creating a new Court of Appeals.^[5] A few months later, Gartzke announced he would run for one of the newly created appeals court seats.^[6] With a close second-place finish in the nonpartisan primary, Gartzke advanced to an April general election against Howard H. Boyle, a Dodge County court commissioner who had previously run for state supreme court and United States Senate.^[7] In the election, Boyle stressed ideology and strictly interpreting the statutes and constitution. Gartzke, on the other hand, made a non-ideological argument for his candidacy, focused on the importance of competent legal experience and prioritizing the establishment of the good functioning of the new appeals court system.^[8] In the end, Gartzke prevailed with a slim majority.^[9] Gartzke would be re-elected without opposition in 1984 and 1990. Shortly after his election, the Wisconsin Supreme Court selected Gartzke as presiding judge for District IV, a position he held through his entire judicial career.^[10]

He retired in 1996, but continued to serve for several years as a reserve judge.^[2]

Judge Gartzke married Waltraud Emilie Dorothea "Emy" Denker in August 1952. At the time of their wedding, Emy, a German student, was working at the Ray-O-Vac Corporation for a chemistry work-training program. They met while traveling from Europe to the United States. Judge Gartzke and his wife had one son and two daughters. At the time of his death, Judge Gartzke had five grandchildren.^[2]

Outside of his legal and judicial career, Judge Gartzke was president and one of the founders of the Bayview Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Madison created to provide affordable housing in the city.^[1] They secured Section 8 funding under the Federal Housing Administration and constructed the Bayview Townhouses and community center in Madison's historic Greenbush Neighborhood. Bayview remains a flourishing community with approximately 300 residents living in subsidized housing.^[13] He also served on the Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators.^[2]