MADISON - State Sen. Fred Risser — the longest-serving legislator in the nation's history — won't seek re-election this fall after 64 years in office.

The last World War II veteran serving in the Legislature, Risser's political career began when Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House, Nikita Khrushchev ruled the Soviet Union and the Suez Crisis rocked the Middle East.

Risser served with 13 governors — seven Democrats and six Republicans.

And in a further shakeup of Democratic politics in Dane County, state Rep. Chris Taylor announced Thursday she would not run for a seat in either house of the Legislature. She had long been viewed as a likely candidate if Risser gave up his district, which covers the heart of Madison.

State Rep. Shelia Stubbs, another Madison Democrat, said she was considering running for Risser's seat and would make a decision after discussing it with her family. Other potential candidates include Kelda Roys, a former state representative who ran for governor in 2018, and Scot Ross, the former head of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.

Already announced are recent college graduates Nada Elmikashfi, who previously worked for political advocacy group NextGen America, and Aisha Moe, who works in the state Capitol.

Risser, 92, was elected to the Assembly in 1956 and the Senate in 1962. He never missed a roll call, he said in a statement announcing his retirement.

Risser, who served as Senate president for 25 years off and on during his time in office, was the lead author of the state's ban on indoor smoking and helped oversee the 10-year-long restoration of the state Capitol.

He comes from a long line of legislators. His father, also named Fred Risser, was the last Progressive Party member to serve in the state Senate. His grandfather (Progressive Republican Ernest Warner) and great-grandfather (Unionist Clement Warner) also served in the Legislature.

He noted he was the only member of his family to serve as a Democrat.

"The political parties keep changing their ideas, while our family has remained committed to progressive values," Risser said in his statement.

Taylor, a member of the Legislature's budget-writing committee, has put a focus in recent months on fighting an effort to station F-35 jets at the Wisconsin National Guard base in Madison. She joined the Assembly in 2011 when Wisconsin held an extended political fight over limiting collective bargaining.

"I have been humbled by the trust my district has placed in me, and it has been a true privilege to serve in some of the most difficult and divisive political times in our state’s history, including during this COVID-19 crisis," Taylor said in a statement, referring to the global coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview, Stubbs said she was honored to serve with Risser and Taylor and was surprised by their decisions not to run again.

"I’m very excited by the idea of following up Sen. Risser’s history-making service by making a little history myself as possibly the first African-American state senator for Dane County," Stubbs said.

Ross said in a statement Senate Democrats need someone in the seat who "won’t stop until we get Gov. Evers a Democratic majority in the Senate."

"I’ll make a decision soon about running to represent the inspiring and fearless people of this state Senate district and as I’ve always said, you can’t win from the sidelines," he said.

Molly Beck and Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.