Thomas J. Rippchen

Thomas James Rippchen was born February 1, 1890, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended parochial and public schools in Milwaukee and studied at St. Francis College. He also received technical training at the Milwaukee School of Trades before beginning his working career with the Illinois Steel Company as an inspector of rails.

In 1912, Thomas came to Stoughton to work for the Moline Plow Company. He began as a timekeeper and eventually became head timekeeper for the plant. In 1916, he entered the banking profession with Citizens State Bank in Stoughton, beginning a career in banking that would span much of his working life.

That career was interrupted by World War I. Thomas entered the U.S. Army on April 25, 1918, and trained at Camp Grant near Rockford, Illinois, before being transferred to Camp Mills on Long Island. He was assigned to Battery C, 342nd Field Artillery, 89th Division, and soon departed for overseas service.

After arriving in France, Thomas received additional artillery training before serving in areas associated with the Meuse-Argonne, St. Mihiel and Toul sectors. His assignments later took him to First Army headquarters, where he worked with the G-4 ammunition branch and subsequently with the G-2 intelligence section. He also served with Troop B of the Headquarters Company before eventually departing France from Marseilles for the United States. Thomas was honorably discharged at Camp Grant on June 10, 1919, as a Private First Class.

Returning to Stoughton, Thomas resumed his banking career and also became deeply involved with the newly established American Legion. He was among the early members who helped build Otis Sampson Post 59 during its formative years. In December 1920, Thomas was elected Commander for 1921, with Leonard Ostlund as Adjutant and fellow future Commander Edwin Olson as Vice Commander. At the time, Post 59 was meeting in the rooms of Stoughton's Grand Army of the Republic, linking the city's new generation of World War I veterans with veterans of the Civil War who had preceded them.

His year as Commander was only one chapter in a much longer commitment to Post 59. Thomas served for many years as the Post's Service Officer, helping fellow veterans and their families secure hospitalization, disability benefits and death benefits. His work eventually earned him a certificate of meritorious service from American Legion headquarters. It was quiet work that rarely made headlines, but it directly affected the lives of veterans and their dependents throughout the Stoughton area.

On January 10, 1921, Thomas married Edna Burull, a Stoughton native and Northwestern University graduate who had taught in the Stoughton public schools. Thomas and Edna raised two children, James and Suzanne, and remained together until Thomas's death.

Thomas continued advancing in banking after the war. He spent more than 20 years with Citizens Bank in Stoughton, eventually becoming assistant cashier. One of the more dramatic episodes of his banking career came in September 1931, when armed bandits robbed Citizens National Bank. Thomas and several other employees were confronted by the robbers and ordered to the floor while the bank was looted. Newspaper photographs taken afterward show Thomas and his fellow employees outside the bank following the ordeal.

He later moved into a leadership position at Cottage Grove State Bank, where he served as cashier for approximately 20 years. His name appeared prominently in the bank's advertising, reflecting the public role bankers often held in their communities during that era.

Thomas remained active in veterans organizations throughout his life. In addition to the American Legion, he belonged to Stoughton's Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Forty and Eight. His long association with veterans organizations extended far beyond holding an elected office; for years he continued working on behalf of the men with whom he had shared the experience of World War I.

Thomas J. Rippchen died at his Stoughton home on October 27, 1956, at the age of 66. Military graveside rites were conducted at Riverside Cemetery.

Thomas's place in Post 59 history reaches well beyond his service as Commander in 1921. He was part of the generation that built the Post during its earliest years, and through his many years as Service Officer, he carried out one of the American Legion's most important responsibilities—helping veterans and their families obtain the assistance they had earned through their service.