James Harsdorf is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician and dairy farmer from 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...

.

Born in Stillwater, Minnesota

Stillwater, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...

, Harsdorf graduated from the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 with a degree in animal science. He was elected to 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....

 in a 1977 special election, defeating future Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Rod Nilsestuen, and served until 1981. He won election to the Wisconsin State Senate

Wisconsin State Senate

The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...

 in 1980, defeating first-term incumbent Democrat Michelle Radosevich. He served from 1981 to 1989.

In 1996, he ran for the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district covering much of southwestern and western Wisconsin; it is the second-largest congressional district by area in Wisconsin...

 against Democrat Ron Kind

Ron Kind

Ronald James "Ron" Kind is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district is located in the western portion of the state and is anchored by La Crosse and Eau Claire and Platteville....

, losing 48% to 52%.

Harsdorf's younger sister, Sheila

Sheila Harsdorf

Sheila Harsdorf is a Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 10th District since 2001. She previously served in the Wisconsin Assembly, representing District 30 from 1989 to 1999.-Early life, education and career:...

, was elected to his former assembly seat in 1988, and served in that body until 1999. She subsequently ran for and won his old senate seat, serving since 2001.