Edmund T. Melms | |
|---|---|
 Melmsc. 1912 | |
| Sheriff of Milwaukee County | |
| In office 1915–1917 | |
| President of the Milwaukee Common Council | |
| In office 1910–1912 | |
| Member of theMilwaukee Common Council | |
| In office 1904–1912 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edmund Ludwig Robert Paul Theodore Melms 1874 (1874) Greenfield, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 1933(1933-01-06) (aged 58–59) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Socialist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Factory worker, journalist |
Edmund Ludwig Robert Paul Theodore Melms (1874–1933) was an American factory worker, journalist,Socialist Party official, and politician inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[1]
Edmund T. Melms was born inGreenfield, Wisconsin, in 1874.[2] He dropped out of school in 7th grade, and became a factory worker. In 1897, he co-founded what was then called theSocial-Democratic Party of Wisconsin. In 1902, he became secretary of the Milwaukee County Socialist Party, serving in that position until 1927. As a Party organizer, Melms developed the "bundle brigades," which distributed Socialist literature in twelve different languages across the city. He also wrote forVictor Berger'sMilwaukee Leader andSocial Democratic Herald.[3]
Melms was an unsuccessful candidate for theWisconsin State Assembly in 1902.[4] In 1904, he was elected to theMilwaukee Common Council, and in 1910 was elected its president,[1] serving in both positions until 1912.[5] As an alderman, he introduced a resolution to ban the practice of transporting prisoners through the streets in uncovered patrol wagons, on the basis that it "exposed [them] to view as criminals."[6]
Melms first ran forsheriff of Milwaukee County in 1912,[7] but was defeated. He ran again in 1914 and won, serving from 1915 to 1917.[8] In 1918, he was an unsuccessful candidate in a special election for theWisconsin State Senate. Melms ran forCongress inWisconsin’s 5th district five times between1906 and1926, but was never successful. The closest he came to victory was in1922, when he lost to State AssemblymanJohn C. Schafer by a margin of 631 votes out of 41,645 cast.[9]
Melms died in Milwaukee on January 6, 1933.[10] He is buried atForest Home Cemetery there.
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