Jack Dewitt

Madison-Jack Richard DeWitt, sometimes called "Dick" was born Dec. 15, 1918 in Muskego, Oklahoma. The family relocated to Wisconsin at age 13 or 14. Dad graduated from Lancaster, WI High School and from the U.W. with a B.A. in Economics and an L.L.B. (law).
He enlisted in the army in 1942, graduated from Officers' Candidate School and saw battle in the European theatre, where he led C Company of the 19th Infantry Battalion, 14th Armored Division. He was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy" around Baerenthal, France, and the U.S. Silver Star and Purple Heart in other action. Of perhaps greater pride, he was awarded the British Military Cross by Britain for "gallantry in action" around Salmbach, France. He received other lesser medals and commerations, led the local reserve unit and retired as a Brigadier General.
After the war Jack returned to Madison. He soon met the love of his life, Anne Reetz, whom he married in 1945. He practiced law and then became a faculty member of the U.W. School of Law. He was an author of the original "Wisconsin Practice Methods" book and was instrumental in establishing the Legal Practice course. He left the law school and worked at the Legislative Reference Bureau and among other things provided the legislative history for West's Wisconsin Statutes Annotated. He continued to teach part time until 1975.
In addition he served as Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Judicial Council, briefly as Acting District Attorney of Dane County and Vice President of Marshall Erdmann & Assoc. He acted as President of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar, the Wisconsin Bar Foundation, the Wisconsin Council of Professions & was a Trustee of the National Conference of Bar Foundations & a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation & the Wisconsin Law Foundation. He received the Distinguished Service Award of the U.W. Law Alumni Association & the Goldberg Distinguished Service Award of the Wisconsin Bar Foundation & was a member of the institute of Judicial Administration & the American Judicature Society.
He served as a member of the Dane County Veterans committee & as Chairman of the Statutory Advisory to the Wisconsin Dept. of Veterans Affairs. He served as a Nation, State or Local officer of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Reserve Officers Association and the Association of the United States Army. He was interested & active in church, the Red Cross and Boy Scouts as well as taking an active role in veterans affairs, political life & the legal profession. He was especially proud to have had a role in making the Wisconsin Veterans Housing Program possible & in the reorganization of the Wisconsin Court System. He gave generously to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
He was a member of the Rotary, the Madison Club, the Order of the Coif, Phi Delta, Phi & Phi Delta Theta, from which he received the Garner Award as "Phi of the Year" from the international fraternity. He enjoyed these contacts as he did those made with colleagues in professional and military matters. He loved to travel & appreciated the opportunity to lead "People to People" tours of lawyers & judges to foreign countries.
Jack reentered private practice in the firm originally named "Immell, Herro, Buenner & DeWitt" and later became its senior partner as "DeWitt, Ross & Stevens" and which is currently Madison's largest firm, practicing in Madison and Mt. Horeb for many years.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents Jesse and Mable (Smith) and by his sister and brother, Patricia and Sanford and is survived by his wife and 5 children, Thomas Michael, John Richard, Sanford Paul, Maureen Susan (Damone) Enriquez and Lizbeth Anne (Bruce) McHale, and six grandchildren, Justin, Kristen, Robin and Ryan DeWitt, and Anne and Emily McHale.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway, Madison, WI. A visitation will take place from 1 p.m. until the time of service, reception following at Kavenaugh's Esquire Club, 1025 N. Sherman Ave.
Memorial may be made in Jack's honor to Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104