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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Clarence H. Wetter
1902 - 1971
Watertown
Daily Times,
Clarence
H. Wetter of 310 Emerald Street, a lifelong resident of Watertown’s Sixth Ward
and a veteran newsman and for over half a century a columnist for the Watertown
Daily Times, died
His
oft-repeated request that his funeral service be private will be adhered to.
There will be a requiem mass at St. Henry’s Catholic Church followed by interment in the parish cemetery. There will be no sermon and no eulogy, also
at his own request.
The
Schmutzler Funeral Home is in
charge of the service arrangements.
There will be no visitation.
Wetter
was born in Watertown on July 2, 1902, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Frank M.
Wetter.
In
1921, five days after graduating from Watertown High School, he was engaged as
a reporter for the Daily Times. It was to be a summer job,
but extended to Dec. 23, 1967 when he retired. He had the longest newspaper career of anyone
in the history of the city. At the time
of his retirement he was city editor of the Times,
a position he had held for 20 years.
He
became best known for his columns, which he began writing as far back as 1919
while still a student in high school.
His column, “In Times Square”,
was continued following his retirement.
He wrote it at home after giving up his position with the Times.
As
a columnist he was highly opinionated and frequently the center of controversy.
He
“created” the character of Joe Pinkie and often rhapsodized about “tankards of
ale”. This amused his most intimate
friends because they knew that during his entire life he had never as much as
tasted ale. He garnered the expression
from the novels of Sir Walter Scott.
In
1967 the Milwaukee Press Club honored him by devoting a full page to his
newspaper career in its annual publication – “One a Year”.
Wetter’s
chief interests were music, literature and history.
His
music library of classical recordings, which he began in 1916, covered most of
the great musical masterpieces. He also
had a vast library but in recent years had greatly reduced it by presenting
books to the local library, as well as several out of town institutions and
making gifts of individual books to friends.
He
was a voracious reader and was seldom without a book, newspaper
or magazine, even while attending meetings which he covered during his years as
a member of the Times’ news staff.
For years he read the editorial pages of 14 different newspapers each day. His interests were wide and were reflected in
his column, the oldest daily newspaper column in the state.
There
are no immediate family survivors. An
aunt, Miss Elizabeth M. Wetter, resides in Wauwatosa. There are numerous cousins, of whom two
reside in Watertown – Mr. Walter Schuenke and Mrs. E.
E. Ruegg.
Wetter
was a member of St. Henry’s Catholic Church and a life member of Watertown
Lodge No. 666, B.P.O.E. In the early
years of the Watertown Rotary Club he represented the Daily Times membership in that organization.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin