Son of Elmer and Rose Steinhilber, Steinhilber graduated from Oshkosh High School in 1949, and attended Oshkosh State Teachers College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a Bachelor of Surgery in economics. Then graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
University of Wisconsin–Madison. University of Wisconsin Law School.
He was elected to the State Assembly in 1966, served two terms, then in 1970 was elected to the State Senate for one term. (His legislative papers (1967–1974) are in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society.)
He was an active Republican, serving in 1976 as chairman of the Wisconsin Citizens for Reagan and as a delegate to the 1980 Republican National Convention.
