Albert C. Ehlman was a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, schoolteacher and professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, who served one term as a Socialist

Socialist Party of America

The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...

 member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

.

Background

Ehlman was born in Milwaukee on November 10, 1876, son of William A. and Frances Graham Ehlman. He was educated in Milwaukee public schools (his father was a teacher and then superintendent of music for the Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 87,360 students, and as of 2006 employed 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the 33rd largest in the United States by enrollment...

). He attended the University of Wisconsin (while in college he was leader of the Glee

Glee club

A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...

 and Mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 Clubs and the University band, and was an instructor in the School of Music), studied law, and in 1898 passed the state bar examination

Bar examination

A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...

. He taught in several high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

s of Wisconsin, and at Western Kentucky State Normal School

Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....

 at Bowling Green, Kentucky

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...

. He practiced law briefly in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, but in 1903 he returned to Milwaukee to open a law office.

Legislature

He was elected to the Assembly in 1918 to succeed fellow Socialist Henry Ohl, Jr.

Henry Ohl, Jr.

Henry J. Ohl, Jr. was a Wisconsin typographer and trade union leader, president for many years of the Wisconsin Federation of Labor...

 as a member for the Fourth district of Milwaukee County (20th and 22nd wards of the City of Milwaukee), receiving 4,122 votes to 1,868 for Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Elmer Marlette, and 68 for Progressive John C. Clayton. He was appointed to the standing committee

Standing Committee

In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...

 on the judiciary

Judiciary

The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

.

He did not run for re-election in 1920, and was succeeded by Republican Charles Meising

Charles Meising

Charles Meising was a salesman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who served one term as a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and conducted several less successful campaigns.- Background :...

.

Personal life

On December 26, 1901, Ehlman married Ruby D. Bell of Concord, Wisconsin

Concord, Wisconsin

Concord is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,023 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.6 square miles , of which, 36.0 square miles of it is land and 0.6 square miles of...

; as of 1922, they had two children, Neal LeRoy and Beatrice Lucille.