The courts take a stand on Wisconsin reapportionment, 55 years ago

The U-S Supreme Court decided to settle a dispute over the drawing of political districts in Wisconsin…in June of 1962.  The La Crosse Tribune ran an editorial asking if the state should ‘find a better way to handle this chore every 10 years.’  The odds were that a solution would not be reached before the September primary that year.  Democratic Governor Gaylord Nelson had vetoed the map drawn up by the Republican-controlled legislature, saying the map was not fair. 
 
Nelson was giving up the governor’s office to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Alexander Wiley.  There was talk of having the two candidates debate, and Republican Wiley said he was willing to debate Nelson, but not on TV.  Wiley said both he and the governor had jobs to do before the election. 
 
At awards season in the spring of 1962, the most popular song of the year was ‘Moon River,’ written and performed by Henry Mancini.  It won the Oscar for best original song in a movie, and the Grammy for record of the year.  The ’62 Grammy award for comedy record went to Mike Nichols and Elaine May.  They won up against a field of nominees including Jonathan Winters, Stan Freberg, and Bill Dana playing an astronaut named ‘Jose Jimenez.’  That was in 1962, Yesterday in La Crosse.