La Follette
La Follette, a family prominent in United States politics and active in the Progressive movement in Wisconsin.
Robert Marion La Follette(1855–1925) was a public official and crusader. “Fighting Bob,” as he was called, was a leader in the reform movement in politics during the first quarter of the 20th century.
La Follette was born in Primrose, Dane County, Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1879, he studied law and in 1880 was admitted to the bar. Not long after, La Follette entered politics as a Republican and won recognition as a dynamic orator. He was elected district attorney of Dane County in 1880 and reelected in 1882. He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1884, was elected, and served three terms, 1885–91.
La Follette was elected governor of Wisconsin in 1901. He developed a reform program, called the “Wisconsin Idea,” that gained him a national reputation. During his three terms, the legislature adopted much of his program. Tax reforms were enacted, direct primary elections established, and commissions created to regulate railways, supervise highway construction, and oversee conservation efforts. In 1905 La Follette was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served the rest of his life. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 1908 and 1912.
In 1917 La Follette voted against the declaration of war on Germany. Although he remained a leading antiwar spokesman, he supported most wartime measures as a way to bring the war to an end. His antiwar views led to his censure by the Wisconsin legislature and an attempt to expel him from the Senate. After World War I ended, La Follette strongly opposed the proposal that the United States join the League of Nations. In 1924 he broke with the Republican party and ran for President as a Progressive. He made a vigorous campaign and received nearly 5,000,000 votes but carried only the state of Wisconsin.
Belle Case La Follette(1859–1931), his wife, also a lawyer, was a strong influence on him. She advocated woman suffrage and disarmament.
Robert Marion La Follette, Jr.(1895–1953), like his parents, was a political liberal. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, became a lawyer, and was his father's secretary for six years. After his father died, Robert was elected to fill the vacant Senate seat and served from 1925 to 1947.
Philip Fox La Follette(1897–1965), the younger son, was also a University of Wisconsin graduate and a lawyer. As a member of the Progressive party, he was elected governor of Wisconsin, serving 1931–33 and 1935–39. After serving as an infantry officer in World War II he became a business executive.