Charles August Kading

Charles August Kading (January 14, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Dodge County, Wisconsin, who served three terms in the United States House of Representatives representing Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional district from 1927 to 1933. He was born in Lowell, Dodge County, Wisconsin, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Baggans Kading. Raised in a rural community, he attended the local country schools and Lowell Grade School before continuing his education at Horicon High School in Horicon, Wisconsin. His early life in Dodge County, combined with his later professional training, grounded him in the concerns of both agricultural and urban constituencies that he would later represent in public office.

After completing his primary and secondary education in Wisconsin, Kading pursued higher education at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He subsequently enrolled in the law department of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, from which he graduated in 1900. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Watertown, Wisconsin. In addition to his legal work, he maintained an interest in agricultural pursuits, reflecting his roots in rural Dodge County and providing him with practical insight into the economic and social issues facing farmers and small communities in his region.

Kading quickly became active in local public affairs in Watertown. He served as city attorney of Watertown from 1905 to 1912, a role in which he was responsible for advising the municipal government on legal matters and representing the city in legal proceedings. Simultaneously, he held county-level office as district attorney for Dodge County from 1906 to 1912, prosecuting criminal cases and overseeing the administration of justice at the county level. His growing prominence in local politics culminated in his election as the 38th mayor of Watertown, serving from 1914 to 1916. During this period, his name was incorrectly listed as “Karling” in the 1911 Wisconsin Blue Book, a clerical error that has been noted in historical references to his early career.

Building on his experience in municipal and county government, Kading advanced to national office as a member of the Republican Party representing Wisconsin. He was elected as a Republican to the Seventieth, Seventy-first, and Seventy-second Congresses, serving in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1927, to March 3, 1933. As a congressman from Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional district, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history that included the late 1920s economic expansion and the onset of the Great Depression. In Congress, he took part in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents from Dodge County and the surrounding region, contributing to national debates and legislation in accordance with Republican principles of the era.

Kading’s congressional career came to an end after he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1932, a year marked by political realignment amid the economic crisis. Following his departure from Congress in March 1933, he returned to Watertown and resumed the private practice of law. He continued to be a respected figure in the legal and civic life of his community, drawing on decades of experience as an attorney, local official, and former member of Congress.

In his later years, Kading remained in Watertown, where he had established both his professional practice and his public career. He died there on June 19, 1956, and was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Watertown, Wisconsin. His commitment to the law and public service was carried on by his family; his son, Charles E. Kading (1907–1992), also became an attorney and served for many years as a judge in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, extending the Kading family’s influence in the legal and judicial affairs of the region.