Joseph John Defer (October 21, 1866 – April 14, 1929) was an American businessman and politician.
Defer was born in Detroit, Michigan [1] and went to the Detroit public schools. Defer moved to the town of Saxon, Iron County, Wisconsin, in 1886, where he owned a general store and saw mill. [1] Defer served as the postmaster for Saxon. He served on the Iron County Board of Supervisors and was chairman of the county board. [1] From 1905 to 1907, Defer served as sheriff of Iron County and was a Republican. Defer served on the school board and was president of the school board. In 1919 and 1920, Defer served in the Wisconsin Assembly. [2] Defer died at his home in Saxon, Wisconsin from a heart attack. [1] [3] [4]