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Born in Primrose, Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1879. He launched his career in politics the following year by being elected district attorney. In 1884, he successfully ran for the House of Representatives, where he served three terms. Affiliated with the Republican Party almost his entire career, La Follette nonetheless remained staunchly independent in his views and frequently clashed with party leaders. His battles against corruption, support for progressive reforms and rousing oratorical skill earned him the epithet, "Fighting Bob." |
Defeated in the 1890 election, he returned to his Madison law practice but remained active in state politics. He served as governor from 1900 to 1906, where he pushed a broad reform agenda which became known as "the Wisconsin idea." To weaken the political influence of party machines and corporations, he instituted direct primary elections and campaign spending limits. He also created state commissions to guide policy on railroad regulation, the environment, transportation, civil service and taxation, drawing heavily on university experts in various fields. In 1906, he returned to Washington, where he served three terms in the Senate. In 1909, he founded La Follette's Weekly Magazine (later called The Progressive, still published monthly in Madison) to promote further his ideas. In 1924, he ran for president on the Progressive Party ticket, earning approximately one-sixth of the popular vote.
SOURCES: Webster's American Biographies; Encyclopedia of American Biography. |
