Fred A. Risser (born May 5, 1927) is a retired American Democratic politician from Madison, Wisconsin.

[2] Risser served in the United States Navy during World War II from 1945 to 1946.

[6] He was sworn into the Navy shortly before his high school graduation and Victory in Europe Day.

He was a medic and served in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Panama Canal Zone.

[7] He rose through the ranks quickly, becoming the minority leader in 1967,[5] which he credits to his intense study of parliamentary procedure.

Risser held the office of president of the Senate continuously for the next 16 years, until Democrats lost the majority in the 1994 election.

He was returned to the office of president every time the Democrats held the majority in the subsequent 20 years.