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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: Wisconsin

in chronological order Victor Luitpold Berger (1860-1929) — also known as Victor L. Berger — of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis. Born in Nieder-Rehbach, Austria, February 28, 1860. Socialist. Emigrated to the United States in 1878; school teacher; newspaper editor; U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 5th District, 1911-13, 1919, 1923-29; defeated, 1904, 1920; candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1918; delegate to Socialist National Convention from Wisconsin, 1920; Chairman of Socialist Party, 1927-29. Jewish ancestry. Member, International Typographical Union. He and Eugene V. Debs founded the Socialist Party. He opposed U.S. entry into World War I; in Chicago in 1918, he was tried and convicted under the Espionage Act, and sentenced to twenty years in prison; elected to Congress anyway, he was denied a seat in 1919-21 to to alleged disloyalty. In 1921, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed his conviction; the cases against him were withdrawn; he resumed his seat in Congress in 1923. Injured in a streetcar accident, and subsequently died, in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis., August 7, 1929 (age 69 years, 160 days). Interment at Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wis.   Relatives: Son of Ignatz Berger and Julia Berger; married, December 4, 1897, to Meta Schlicting.   Cross-reference: William F. Kruse — Adolph Germer — J. Louis Engdahl — Irwin St. John Tucker   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial   Image source: Marxists Internet Archive Joseph Raymond McCarthy (1908-1957) — also known as Joseph R. McCarthy; Joe McCarthy; "Tail-Gunner Joe" — of Appleton, Outagamie County, Wis. Born in Grand Chute, Outagamie County, Wis., November 14, 1908. Republican. Lawyer; circuit judge in Wisconsin 10th Circuit, 1940-46; served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II; U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1947-57; died in office 1957; delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1948; speaker, 1952. Catholic. Claimed in a 1950 speech that he had a list of 205 Communists employed in the U.S. State Department; went on to conduct hearings and investigations into alleged subersive activities and Communist influence on society; with his sensationalist tactics and disregard for fairness and due process, he dominated the American political scene for a period of time, now called the McCarthy Era; public opinion turned against him when he tried to investigate the Army; in December 1953, the Senate voted 67-22 to censure him for "contemptuous conduct" and abuse of select committee privilege. Died of a liver ailment at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Montgomery County, Md., May 2, 1957 (age 48 years, 169 days). Interment at St. Mary's Cemetery, Appleton, Wis.   Relatives: Son of Timothy McCarthy and Bridget (Tierney) McCarthy; married, September 29, 1953, to Jean Fraser Kerr.   Cross-reference: L. Brent Bozell — Norman Armour — Joseph C. Grew — Robert Woods Bliss — William Phillips — Albert Cohn — Corliss Lamont — Merwin K. Hart — Charles W. Thayer — John S. Service   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile — Find-A-Grave memorial   Books about Joseph R. McCarthy: Richard H. Rovere, Senator Joe McCarthy — Arthur Herman, Joseph McCarthy : Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator — Ellen Schrecker, The Age of McCarthyism — Thomas C. Reeves, The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy : A Biography   Fiction about Joseph R. McCarthy: William F. Buckley, Jr., The Redhunter : a novel based on the life of Senator Joe McCarthy   Image source: Wisconsin Blue Book 1954   John Charles Doerfer (1904-1992) — also known as John C. Doerfer — of West Allis, Milwaukee County, Wis.; Miami, Miami-Dade County, Fla.; Boston, Suffolk County, Mass. Born in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis., November 30, 1904. Republican. Lawyer; member, Federal Communications Commission, 1953-60; chair, Federal Communications Commission, 1957-60; in 1960, he spent a week-long Florida vacation on the yacht Lazy Girl, owned by his friend George B. Storer, president of Storer Broadcasting; as a result, he was accused of conflict of interest and forced to resign. Died in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., June 5, 1992 (age 87 years, 188 days). Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Married to Ida Page.   See also Wikipedia article   Peggy A. Lautenschlager (b. 1955) — also known as Peg Lautenschlager — of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wis. Born in Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wis., November 22, 1955. Democrat. Lawyer; Winnebago County District Attorney, 1985-88; member of Wisconsin state assembly, 1989-93; candidate for U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 6th District, 1992; U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, 1993-2001; Wisconsin state attorney general, 2003-07; defeated in primary, 2006; in February 2004, en route from Madison to Fond du Lac, she accidentally drove a state-owned car into a ditch; pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and refusing a blood test; lost her license for a year, paid a fine of $784, and a self-imposed penalty of $3,250; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 2004, 2008. Female. Member, Phi Beta Kappa. Still living as of 2011.   Relatives: Married to Bill Rippl.   See also Wikipedia article   James J. Schmitt (b. 1958) — also known as Jim Schmitt — of Green Bay, Brown County, Wis. Born in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, Wis., June 7, 1958. Mayor of Green Bay, Wis., 2003-19; pleaded guilty in 2016 to misdemeanor campaign finance charges; sentenced to a monetary forfeiture and community service; the city council's attempt to oust him from office as mayor failed by one vote. Catholic. Still living as of 2019.   Relatives: Son of James Schmitt and Mary (Gleichner) Schmitt; married, May 26, 1990, to Dona Degenhardt.   See also Wikipedia article

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