Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on November 11, 1905, Gus Toepel received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1927 and an M.A. in political science in 1936. After teaching high school for a short time, he worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas and field investigator and senior rating board examiner for the U.S. Civil Service Commission.

Toepel served in military intelligence in the U.S. Army during World War II and became educational coordinator for the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance after the war. He later was expeditor for the UW-Extension Center at Racine and the first director of the Green Bay Extension Center. From 1947 to 1949, Toepel served as executive secretary of the Wisconsin Education Commission. He directed the UW-Extension Division’s Bureau of Government until he was appointed chief of the LRB in June 1950. He remained at this post until his death on July 12, 1963, in Madison. During his tenure as chief, Toepel emphasized legislative research and began publishing LRB research in a series of bulletins.