| Kohler was born on April 4, 1904, he was the son of Governor Walter J. Kohler, Sr. After graduating from Yale in 1925, the younger Kohler worked in engineering, ceramic research, sales, and merchandising in the family business, the Kohler Company, where he became a director in 1936 and secretary in 1937. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he returned to the Kohler Company, then in 1947 became president of Sheboygan's Vollrath Company, a manufacturer of stainless steel products. A Republican, Kohler was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 1950 and was re-elected in 1952 and 1954. In 1956, he declined to run for a fourth term in office. His administration witnessed the expansion and consolidation of the state system of higher education, the growth of motor vehicle law enforcement, and the revision of criminal, children's, and administrative codes. During Kohler's time in office, Wisconsin's first civil defense law was enacted, a number of new committees and boards were created, and the State continued the massive building program that had begun under Governor Rennebohm. Following his retirement from the governorship, Kohler returned to the presidency of the Vollrath Company and was active in civic affairs. He died on March 21, 1976. |
