The district was created in the 1972 redistricting act (1971 Wisc. Act 304) which first established the numbered district system, replacing the previous system which allocated districts to specific counties.[5] The 13th district was drawn somewhat in line with the western half of the previous Milwaukee County 18th district, though with some city of Milwaukee wards removed, and the village of Butler in Waukesha County added.[6]
The district has remained in the same vicinity since 1972, but the boundaries have moved further and further west. By 2011, the district contained only a small portion of the city of Milwaukee; the 2022 redistricting saw the district move even further west, putting it almost entirely within Waukesha County. The 2024 redistricting act moved the district back to the east, re-adding most of the city of Wauwatosa and shedding a large part of the city of Brookfield.
^ abWisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1973). "Biographies"(PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 30–31. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1981). "Biographies"(PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1981-1982 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 26–27. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1983). "Biographies"(PDF). In Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V. (eds.). The state of Wisconsin 1983-1984 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 26–27. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1991). "Biographies"(PDF). In Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert (eds.). State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 30–31. Retrieved February 9, 2021.