WILLIAM E . KRETSCHMAR Serving a Lengthy Career as a Lawyer and Legislator
By Kylie Blanchard , Clearwater Communications
With a law career spanning more than five decades and including nearly 40 years of service in the North Dakota House of Representatives , William E . Kretschmar has a wealth of experiences as both a lawyer and legislator , an appropriate pairing , he notes . “ They mesh quite well together ,” he says . “ Being a lawyer in the Legislature and being more familiar with the legal system helped me to advocate for certain things and explain things to my colleagues . Hopefully , I have done some good .”
Choosing a Career in Law
Kretschmar says he became interested in a law career following college . “ I had a couple of uncles who were lawyers , and I didn ’ t do too much during my undergrad ,” he notes . “ I worked a little out of college and then decided to try law school and that worked out for me .”
He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1961 and , in the summer of that year , passed the North Dakota Bar exam . Today , there are only 10 lawyers that have been licensed longer than Kretschmar in North Dakota . “ I ’ ve practiced in Ashley , N . D ., my entire career and was in partnership with a cousin of mine . I had a general law practice in a small town , and I just did a little bit of everything .”
He has also been an active member of his community , serving as past president of the Ashley Lions Club , Ashley Jaycees Club , and Ashley Medical Center and an active member of the community ’ s Elks and Eagles Club , as well as St . David ’ s Catholic Church .
His interest in serving on the state level began in 1970 , when a resolution was passed for the state to hold a Constitutional Convention . “ I ran to be a delegate from my area and won that election .”
In 1972 , he ran for the House of Representatives and won , beginning his first session in the Legislature in 1973 as a Representative for District 28 in south central North Dakota . “ There really were none or very few lawyers in the Legislature at that time ,” says Kretschmar . “ One of the things I tried to do was get the work done in the Constitutional Convention , which had failed to be adopted , into the state constitution by piece meal . I believe we were successful in doing that with probably 80 percent of it in the state ’ s constitution now .”
Kretschmar served in the State Legislature until 1998 , when he lost his district ’ s election by 25 votes . In 2001 , he was again elected to the House of Representatives . “ I was still interested in government and being in the Legislature , so I decided to run again .”
During his time in the State Legislature , he served for five sessions as Assistant Republican Leader and also served as Chair of the Constitutional Revisions Committee in the mid- 80s to 90s , Chair of the Judiciary Committee , and Speaker of the House in 1989 . The year he served as Speaker of the House was also the state ’ s year-long centennial celebration , which he says is one of his most fond memories of serving in the Legislature .
Rep . William E . Kretschmar
He notes he also appreciated the work that was done to keep the state running smoothly while he was in the Legislature . “ We worked hard to keep North Dakota going , especially in education ,” Kretschmar says . “ I am an advocate for education and believe it is the key to keeping many things going in this world .”
Lawyer and Legislator
“ Being a lawyer and being more familiar with the legal system helped me advocate for certain things and explain things to my colleagues ,” says Kretschmar . “ Being familiar with the legal system and the law is certainly an advantage .”
He notes it is helpful to have lawyers in the Legislature and on standing committees to explain bills and specific language , as well as monitor what is happening during the legislative process .
While Kretschmar won ’ t be returning to the House of Representatives in 2017 , he says he will continue to practice law in Ashley . “ I don ’ t practice as strenuously as I used to ,” he notes . “ I primarily help my clients with contracts and deeds . When you practice in a small town and build your client base , you still like to help them out .”
Kretschmar says he has enjoyed his time in the Legislature , as well as his career practicing law . “ I don ’ t want to retire , but I suppose I will have to sometime ,” he says . “ If a person finds something in life they enjoy , it makes things so much easier .”
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