Daniel L. LaRocque (born 1936) is a retired American lawyer and judge. He was a Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for twelve years after serving as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Marathon County. Prior to his judicial service, he was district attorney for Marathon County for 13 years. Early life and education He attended the Central Michigan University College of Journalism and worked briefly for the Milwaukee Journal in 1959 and 1960. He continued his education, however, and earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1962. Later in life, he would return to further his education at the Institute of Judicial Administration at the New York University School of Law. Legal career After obtaining his law degree, he briefly worked as an attorney in Wausau, Wisconsin, in partnership with Robert W. Dean—who would also later serve as an Appeals Court judge—but soon was hired as an assistant district attorney in Marathon County, under Patrick L. Crooks. In 1964, Crooks announced his plans to leave office and endorsed LaRocque as his successor as district attorney. LaRocque went on to win election that November, running on the Democratic Party ticket. He was subsequently re-elected six times as district attorney, serving up until his election to the judiciary. LaRocque's years as district attorney would be formative for both himself and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Among the men who worked as colleagues or employees of LaRocque during this time were: Anthony S. "Tony" Earl, who would become 41st Governor of Wisconsin; Francis E. Bachhuber III, nephew of then-federal judge James Edward Doyle and cousin of future-Governor Jim Doyle; and Dave Obey, who would go on to represent northwestern Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for nearly 40 years. Tony Earl, in particular, would be a close ally to LaRocque for the rest of his career. Judicial career In 1977, he was elected County Judge in Marathon County and took office the following January. The timing coincided with a significant reorganization of the Wisconsin court system. On August 1, 1978, eight months after he took office, the existing Wisconsin county courts and circuit courts were combined into the current system of Wisconsin circuit courts; LaRocque became a judge of the Marathon circuit. He won re-election in 1984 without opposition, and, later that year, he was appointed Chief Judge of the 9th Judicial Administrative District by the