About Patrick Lucey
Patrick Joseph Lucey (March 21, 1918 – May 10, 2014) was an American politician who served as the United States ambassador to Mexico from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 38th governor of Wisconsin from 1971 to 1977. Lucey was also the running mate of independent presidential nominee John B. Anderson in the 1980 presidential election. Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lucey served in state and local government offices after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. He served in the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army during World War II. He held the position of Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1965 to 1967 and unsuccessfully challenged Governor Warren P. Knowles in the 1966 gubernatorial election. Lucey was elected governor of Wisconsin in the 1970 gubernatorial election and was reelected in 1974. He resigned as governor in 1977, when he accepted President Jimmy Carter's appointment to the position of United States Ambassador to Mexico. As governor, Lucey presided over the merger of the Wisconsin State University system and the University of Wisconsin System. In 1980, he agreed to serve as the running mate to John B. Anderson, a former Republican congressman running an independent campaign. The ticket of Anderson and Lucey won 6.6% of the popular vote in the 1980 election, which saw Carter unseated by Republican nominee Ronald Reagan. Lucey won the 1970 Wisconsin gubernatorial election and served as governor until 1977, when he accepted President Jimmy Carter's appointment to the position of United States Ambassador to Mexico. Lucey was the first Wisconsin governor elected to a four-year term after a 1967 amendment to the state constitution extended terms from two years to four.
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