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Philip La Follette

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Philip La Follette
27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 1935 – January 2, 1939
Lieutenant
Preceded byAlbert G. Schmedeman
Succeeded byJulius P. Heil
In office
January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933
LieutenantHenry A. Huber
Preceded byWalter J. Kohler Sr.
Succeeded byAlbert G. Schmedeman
District Attorney of Dane County
In office
January 1, 1925 – January 1, 1927
Preceded byTheodore G. Lewis
Succeeded byGlenn D. Roberts
Personal details
Born
Philip Fox La Follette

(1897-05-08)May 8, 1897
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedAugust 18, 1965(1965-08-18) (aged 68)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Hill Cemetery
Madison, Wisconsin
Political party
Spouses
  • Isabel Bacon
  • (m. 1923–1963; died 1973)
Children3
Parents
Relatives
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1918, 1942–1945
Rank Lt. Colonel
UnitSouth West Pacific Command
Battles/wars

Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897 – August 18, 1965) was an American politician. He was the 27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin, as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progressive Party.

Early life and family

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La Follette was born in Madison, Wisconsin, a member of the politically prominent La Follette family. He was the son of Wisconsin Congressman, Governor, and U.S. Senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr., and Belle Case La Follette, brother of U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr., brother of Fola La Follette, whose husband was the playwright George Middleton, and uncle of Wisconsin Attorney General Bronson La Follette.

La Follette served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry in 1918, during World War I. In 1919 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Wisconsin and in 1922 a Bachelor of Laws degree. He married Isabel Bacon (1898–1973) in 1923. They had three children: son Robert (c. 1927), and daughters Judith (c. 1929) and Sherry (1936).

Political career

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He was the district attorney for Dane County, Wisconsin, from 1925 to 1927. La Follette was Governor of Wisconsin from 1931 to 1933 and 1935 to 1939. He was first elected as a progressive member of the Republican Party in the 1930 election.

After a defeat in the 1932 Republican Primary, however, La Follette, along with his brother, Robert M. La Follette, Jr., created the Wisconsin Progressive Party and both ran successfully under its ticket in 1934. The gregarious governor was known as "Phil" on the streets of Madison during his governorship, much as his father had been known as simply "Bob". His governorship saw the implementation of many of the progressive measures of the New Deal, with La Follette being responsible for the implementation of some of them on the state level before the Roosevelt Administration could do so on the national level.

La Follette was defeated seeking reelection as governor in 1938. That spring he had attempted to launch the National Progressive Party of America in an attempt to create a national third party (as the La Follettes had helped create in Wisconsin). This party was named the National Progressives of America upon its formation. The goals of the party were to lead a realignment of American politics along more concrete liberal and conservative lines. Despite his efforts, the NPA was unsuccessful and La Follette never held public office after 1939.

Later life and career

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La Follette's grave (second from right) at Forest Hill Cemetery

Much as his father opposed U.S. entry into World War I, Phil La Follette strongly opposed, like most other Americans, U.S. entry into World War II. Once war was declared, he abandoned his opposition and joined the U.S. Army, serving on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur. He would later spearhead a slate of delegates to the 1948 Republican National Convention supporting MacArthur's nomination for the presidency. Such a slate included many people La Follette had opposed during the Great Depression, but turned to out of a common interest to support MacArthur, a fact which perplexed many of his contemporaries.

From 1955 to 1959, La Follette served as president of Hazeltine Electronics, and made his home in Douglaston, New York. He later returned to Wisconsin, wrote his autobiography, and was active in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

He died in Madison, Wisconsin, and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery.[1]

Electoral history

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Dane County District Attorney (1924)

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Wisconsin governor (1930–1938)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1930 Primary Sep. 16 Philip La Follette Republican 339,551 59.64% Walter J. Kohler Sr. (inc) Rep. 267,687 40.36% 663,238 71,864
General Nov. 4 Philip La Follette Republican 392,958 64.76% Charles E. Hammersley Dem. 170,020 28.02% 606,825 222,938
Frank Metcalfe Soc. 25,607 4.22%
Alfred B. Taynton Pro. 14,818 2.44%
Fred Basset Blair Ind. 2,998 0.49%
1932 Primary Sep. 20 Walter J. Kohler Sr. Republican 414,575 56.45% Philip La Follette (inc) Rep. 319,884 43.55% 734,459 94,691
1934 Primary Sep. 18 Philip La Follette Progressive 154,454 95.36% Henry O. Meisel Prog. 7,520 4.64% 161,974 146,934
General Nov. 6 Philip La Follette Progressive 373,093 39.12% Albert G. Schmedeman (incumbent) Dem. 359,467 37.69% 953,797 13,626
Howard T. Greene Rep. 172,980 18.14%
George A. Nelson Soc. 44,589 4.68%
Morris Childs Ind. 2,454 0.26%
Thomas W. North Ind. 857 0.09%
Joseph Ehrhardt Ind. 332 0.03%
1936 General Nov. 3 Philip La Follette (inc) Progressive 573,724 46.38% Alexander Wiley Rep. 363,973 29.42% 1,237,095 209,751
Arthur W. Lueck Dem. 268,530 21.71%
Joseph F. Walsh Uni. 27,934 2.26%
Joseph Ehrhardt Soc 1,738 0.14%
August F. Fehlandt Pro. 1,008 0.08%
1938 Primary Sep. 20 Philip La Follette (inc) Progressive 136,291 80.21% Glenn P. Turner Prog. 33,631 19.79% 169,922 102,660
General Nov. 8 Julius P. Heil Republican 543,675 55.39% Philip La Follette (inc) Prog. 353,381 36.00% 981,560 190,294
Harry W. Bolens Dem. 78,446 7.99%
Frank W. Smith Uni. 4,564 0.47%
John Schleier Jr. Ind. 1,459 0.15%

Works

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  • La Follette, Philip Fox, Adventure in politics: the memoirs of Philip La Follette edited by Donald Young, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.

References

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  1. ^ "Last of Family Triumvirate. Philip La Follette, 68, Dies". Wisconsin State Journal. August 19, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved May 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Further reading

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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Wisconsin
1930
Succeeded by
Preceded by
New party
Progressive nominee for Governor of Wisconsin
1934, 1936, 1938
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Wisconsin
1931 – 1933
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Wisconsin
1935 – 1939
Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin
1925 – 1927
Succeeded by
Glenn D. Roberts
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Cover of Time magazine
22 October 1928
Succeeded by