Former state Sens. Tim Cullen, George Petak die

Former state Sens. Tim Cullen and George Petak have died, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.

Cullen, a Democrat from Janesville, was first elected to the state Senate in 1974 and served until 1987. He became majority leader in 1982.

In 1987, he went to work for Republican former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s administration, serving as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services.

He was elected to the state Senate again in 2010, and served until his retirement in 2015.

After serving in office, Cullen was the chair of the nonprofit Common Cause Wisconsin, a group that advocates for nonpartisan independent redistricting reform, from 2018 to 2022. 

He was 80 years old when he died.

In a statement, Evers said Cullen was a “dedicated public servant” who devoted himself to “good governance and improving the state.”

“He spent much of his life working to end partisan gerrymandering and fighting for Wisconsin to have fair maps at long last,” Evers stated. “There is no doubt our state is better off because of Sen. Cullen and his service. Kathy and I extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues and all those who knew him.”

Petak, a Racine-area Republican, was elected to the state Senate in 1990 and won reelection in 1994. He was defeated in a 1996 recall after he was the deciding vote to provide public funding to build the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium, the first state lawmaker in Wisconsin history to be removed through a recall.

Petak’s son, Brian Petak, wrote in a Facebook Post that his father died “peacefully in his sleep” around 4:50 a.m. Tuesday. He was 75.

“My dad certainly fought the good fight and finished his race well,” Brian Petak wrote. “What a legacy he has left for all of us. A man of God with uncompromising integrity, a heart to serve and a godly influence on so many.”

In a statement, Evers said Petak was a “man of faith, courage and principle.”

“He truly had a servant’s heart, always leading with empathy and integrity to give back and do more for others,” Evers stated. “Kathy and I join the people of Wisconsin in mourning the loss of Sen. Petak and offer our sincerest sympathies to his wife, kids, loved ones and the many whose lives he touched.”