Philip La Follette

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.

Philip La Follette
27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 7, 1935 – January 2, 1939
Lieutenant	Thomas J. O'Malley Henry Gunderson Herman Ekern
Preceded by	Albert G. Schmedeman
Succeeded by	Julius P. Heil
In office January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933
Lieutenant	Henry A. Huber
Preceded by	Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Succeeded by	Albert G. Schmedeman
District Attorney of Dane County
In office January 1, 1925 – January 1, 1927
Preceded by	Theodore G. Lewis
Succeeded by	Glenn D. Roberts
Personal details
Born	Philip Fox La Follette (1897-05-08)May 8, 1897 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	August 18, 1965(1965-08-18) (aged 68) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Wisconsin Progressive (1934–1946) Republican (before 1934)
Spouses	Isabel Bacon (m. 1923–1963; died 1973)
Children	3
Parents	Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (father) Belle Case La Follette (mother)
Relatives	Robert M. La Follette Jr. (brother) Fola La Follette (sister) Bronson La Follette (nephew) La Follette family
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1918, 1942–1945
Rank	Lt. Colonel
Unit	South West Pacific Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II

Early life and family

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

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

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.

Electoral history

Wisconsin governor (1930–1938)

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

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

Further reading

• Kasparek, Jonathan. Fighting Son: A Biography of Philip F. La Follette. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2006. ISBN 0-87020-353-3.

External links

• La Follette Family Papers in the Library of Congress
• Philip F. La Follette, Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin State Historical Society