Frank Zeidler | |
|---|---|
 Zeidlerc. 1961 | |
| 41st Mayor of Milwaukee | |
| In office April 20, 1948 – April 18, 1960 | |
| Preceded by | John Bohn |
| Succeeded by | Henry Maier |
| Member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors | |
| In office April 1941 – April 1948 | |
| Surveyor ofMilwaukee County | |
| In office January 1939 – January 1941 | |
| Secretary of the Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin | |
| In office October 1938 – April 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Polakowski |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Knappe |
| In office January 1938 – April 1938 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard K. Place |
| Succeeded by | Walter Polakowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frank Paul Zeidler (1912-09-20)September 20, 1912 |
| Died | July 7, 2006(2006-07-07) (aged 93) Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Party | SPA(before 1972) SPUSA(after 1972) |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive |
| Relatives | Carl Zeidler (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago Marquette University University of Wisconsin |
Frank Paul Zeidler (September 20, 1912 – July 7, 2006) was an Americansocialist politician andmayor ofMilwaukee, Wisconsin, serving three terms from April 20, 1948, to April 18, 1960. Zeidler, a member of theSocial-Democratic Party of Wisconsin and theSocialist Party of America, is the most recentSocialist Party candidate to be elected mayor of a large American city.[1][2]
Zeidler was born inMilwaukee on September 20, 1912.[3] He graduated fromWest Division High School at the age of sixteen.[4] He studied at both theUniversity of Chicago andMarquette University, but was never able tograduate due to ill health. He became a socialist because of socialism's emphasis on peace and improving the conditions for workers.[3]
In an interview, Zeidler said he chose the ideology of socialism in 1933 "because of several things in its philosophy. One was the brotherhood of people all over the world. Another was its struggle for peace. Another was the equal distribution of economic goods. Another was the idea of cooperation. A fifth was the idea of democratic planning in order to achieve your goals. Those were pretty good ideas". He distanced himself from the beliefs ofcommunism, especially communism linked in any way to theSoviet Union. Indeed, he was (and remained) an active Lutheran, a religious commitment which he saw as being fulfilled rather than contradicted by his Socialist activism.[5]
Later, however, he credited his adoption of socialism to readingleft-wing literature, with the majority being written byEugene V. Debs andNorman Thomas during theGreat Depression.[6]
Zeidler became an active member of theYoung People's Socialist League (YPSL), theyouth branch of theSocialist Party of America. He later became the leader of the Milwaukee branch of theRed Falcons during the 1930s,[7] and served as secretary of theSocialist Party of Wisconsin early in 1938[8][9] and again from late 1938[10] to 1941.[11]
Zeidler was elected as thesurveyor ofMilwaukee County in 1938 on theProgressive Party ballot line (the Socialist Party and Progressives were in coalition in Milwaukee at that time).[12] In 1940, he was the Progressive nominee forWisconsin State Treasurer, coming in second place with 31% of the vote.[13]
In1940, his older brother,Carl (aRepublican), was electedmayor of Milwaukee.[14][5] The following year, Zeidler himself was elected to a six-year term on theMilwaukee Board of School Directors (a non-partisan office).[5] In 1942, Zeidler ran as the Socialist nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin, receiving 1.41% of the vote in a six-way race. He was re-elected to the Milwaukee School Board in 1947.
After two years as mayor, his older brother enlisted in the Navy at the height ofWorld War II and was killed at sea when his ship was lost.[15] In1944, Zeidler unsuccessfully ran for mayor under the Socialist banner. He failed to receive enough support in thenonpartisan primary to advance to thegeneral election.[14]
Zeidler served as mayor of Milwaukee for three consecutive terms lasting cumulative twelve years (from April 20, 1948 to April 18, 1960).[4]
Zeidler ran again for mayor in1948. He positioned himself as anindependent politician receiving backing fromlabor union leaders, Socialist stalwarts,liberal-leaningDemocrats. He was also backed by a group of Republicans who organized as the "Municipal Enterprise Committee".[14]
Zeidler's candidacy was fiercely opposed by many of the local newspapers and many local business interests who were opposed to the prospective resurgence of socialism in the city's municipal politics.[14]
After his death, Zeidler's older brother was regarded as local hero, a reputation which later aided the younger Zeidler in his campaign to become mayor. In 1948, Frank Zeidler ran for mayor in a crowded field of fourteen candidates and won, undoubtedly aided by the familiarity of his surname.[15] Zeidler himself would later remark that he considered his 1948 victory to have been anupset fueled by his late brother's popularity.[16] The large field of candidates was due to MayorJohn Bohn declining to seek re-election . Among the candidates that year was attorneyHenry S. Reuss (a Democrat who later went on to win election to Congress in 1954) andHenry Maier (who would later be elected Zeidler's successor).[4]
Zeidler was Milwaukee's third Socialist mayor (afterEmil Seidel [1910-12] andDaniel Hoan [1916-40]), making Milwaukee the largest American city to elect three Socialists to its highest office (a fact that singerAlice Cooper pointed out in the 1992 filmWayne's World).
No socialist allies were elected to theMilwaukee Common Council (city council). A lack of ideological allies on the Common Council was one of the major challenges Zeidler encountered across his three terms as mayor.[16]
Zeidler was re-elected in1952 and1956.[4]
During Zeidler's administration, Milwaukee grew industrially and geographically.[17]
Under Zeidler, Milwaukee nearly doubled its geographic size through an aggressive campaign of municipal annexations: large parts of theTown of Lake and most of theTown of Granville were annexed to the city.[17] Zeidler was a fierce opponent of separatesuburbs, outright declaring, "we do not believe they have the right to exist." He sought to coerce the annexation of all land in Milwaukee County by requiring any area desiring access to the city's water system to submit itself to annexation into the city.[16] Zeidler viewed annexation as granting the city land upon which it could locate new industrial facilities and public housing.[14]
During his mayoralty, the city's park system was upgraded. A 2006 publication by the American Public Works Association recalled that Zeidler always maintained that the projected Milwaukee freeway system should have been built and that the city's competitiveness had been compromised by the failure to complete the planned system.[17] Zeidler also spearheaded the construction of theMilwaukee Arena, numerous library branches.[18] He also spearheaded the construction of manypublic housing projects in the city,[16] resulting in the construction of 3,200 units oflow income housing.[18] He also supported efforts that resulted in the construction ofMilwaukee County Stadium.[4] He also advocated for the successful cause of urging the establishment of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[4]
Zeidler spearheaded planning and construction of the beginning of Milwaukee's freeway system.[17] He dubbed modern expressways "a citizens' highway".[16] In both 1948 and 1953, city voters approved two bond measures (totaling $8 million) to fund the start of highway development in the city.[19] In 1951, the firm Amman & Whitney was hired by the city to develop a highway plan. In 1952, Zeidler and the Milwaukee Common Council adopted the resultant plan for a $150 million program of highway construction, intended to build 20.4 miles (32.8 km) miles of local highways. In the years that followed, limited funds were available for the projects to progress.[19] Due to the slow pace of progress of the project under city management,[19] in 1954 the city turned over responsibility for developing the city's highway system to thegovernment of Milwaukee County.[17]
Zeidler's plans for the city were only a partial success. Milwaukee doubled in area through annexation and it experienced very little decline in population during a period of American urban decline starting in the 1960s and lasting until about 1990. Suburban residents and governments fiercely resisted annexation and the politics of regional Milwaukee became highly factional. An attorney who sued to block annexation claimed Zeidler planted listening devices in his office. Zeidler, angry about the resistance to his plans, said in 1958: "The city consults with suburban governments, but we do not believe they have reason for existing."[15]
Similar to earlier Milwaukee mayorDaniel Hoan (a fellow socialist), Zeidler was very conservative in his management of municipal budgets and acquisition of new debts. Zeidler opposed creating new debt to fund public projects, opposing the prospect of paying substantialinterest to banks. A March 2007Milwaukee Magazine article recounted, "[Ziedler and Hoan] were tightfisted budget crunchers and so opposed to paying interest to banks they would “pay as you go” for all public projects. Few governments in the nation were so cautious about debt."[16] During his mayoralty, the city avoided borrowing further money to repay loans.[17]
Zeidler faced the vexing issue of race relations as Milwaukee'sAfrican-American population tripled during the 1950s. Zeidler was a vocal supporter of the civil rights movement and his opponents tried to exploit this to their advantage.[15][14] Zeidler's political enemies spread false rumors that Zeidler had put billboards in the South asking blacks to come north.[15][16] Many workers in Milwaukee were threatened for supporting Zeidler. One manufacturer even threatened to fire employees who voted for Zeidler.[15]
Zeidler was the longtime Executive Director of theMilwaukee Turners [1948-60] atTurner Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also edited and published in theMilwaukee Turner.[20]
Zeidler supported an effort to launch of a local public television station, which resulted in the creation ofWMVS.[4]
Zeidler spearheaded the 1959 passage of apension for municipal employees.[16]
For six years during his mayoralty Zeidler was theAmerican Municipal Association representative to theUnited States National Commission forUNESCO.[4]
One of Zeidler's final actions in office (in his final week as mayor) was the publication of theInner Core Report, a study which assessed the social conditions of the inner city and which recommended future remedies to identified ills.[4]
Zeidler sought to govern through consensus building and collaboration.[4] Unlike many politicians, he did not dole out retribution upon political adversaries.[16]
Zeidler often faced news media criticism and skepticism. He sought to counter this by leaving his office door open to journalists who wished to speak with him, and inviting journalists to attend his meetings. However, this did not avail itself to any decrease in criticism from journalists. Fierce criticism from his adversaries took an emotional toll on Zeidler that impacted him in reaching his ultimate decision to forgo seeking re-election to a fourth term.[16]
Worn-out by 1959, Zeidler declared that he would forgo seeking re-election in1960.[16] He cited bad personal health and the taxing challenge of dealing with racial tensions in the city as reasons for not running for re-election .[15] Zeidler was only 47 years of age when he left office.[16]
In 1957, Milwaukee was ranked byFortune Magazine as being one of the two best-governed large United States cities.[4]
A 1993 expert survey (of historians, political scientists, and urban experts) conducted by Melvin G. Holli of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago ranked Zeidler as the twenty-first-best American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.[21]
According to a 2007Milwaukee Magazine article, early 21st century public opinion in Milwaukee held a highly positive view towards Zeidler's mayoralty, with many viewing him as having been highly principled.[16]
After leaving office as mayor, Zeidler began working as a consultant to theFord Foundation. Zeidler also worked as a workforcearbitrator,[4] amediator, asdevelopment director forAlverno College, and served in the administration GovernorJohn W. Reynolds Jr. As a leader of the Public Enterprise Committee, Zeidler was a frequent and severe critic of his successor, Henry Maier.[22] He supported a number of unsuccessful attempts to defeat Maier in subsequent elections.[citation needed]
Zeidler was instrumental in re-forming theSocialist Party USA in 1973, and served as its National Chair for many years. He was the party's presidential nominee in1976, getting on ten state ballots. The party had 400-600 members nationwide at the time. Zeidler agreed to run when other leading members of the SPUSA declined to do so. He and his running mate,J. Quinn Brisben, received 6,038 votes, including approximately 2,500 inMilwaukee County.[23] His 1976 presidential bid, which he almost certainly knew would not come close to victory, was his only campaign for office following his retirement as mayor.[16]
On July 26, 2004, Zeidler appeared at the2004 Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee to welcome that party's delegates to their convention.[24]
Zeidler remained a lifelong Milwaukee resident. He died at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital on July 7, 2006 (aged 93) ofcongestive heart failure anddiverticulitis.[18] He was interred atForest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee. He was survived by his wife, Agnes, and by six children.[18]
Zeidler wrote several books, including not only treatises onmunicipal government,labor law, socialism, andMilwaukee history, butpoetry, renditions of four ofShakespeare's plays into present-day English, andchildren's stories. His 1961 memoir of his time as mayor,A Liberal in City Government, was published in 2005 by Milwaukee Publishers LLC, a local company formed for the purpose.[25]
Zeidler's mayoral and personal papers are archived atMilwaukee Public Library. Several additional boxes of his papers are archived at theGolda Meir Library of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[26]
On June 13, 1958, Zeidler was the first person to receive an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,[27] which now sponsors the Frank P. Zeidler InternationalGraduate Student Travel Award, ascholarship enabling a non-American scholar to study for amaster's degree inAmerican history at UWM.[28] TheWisconsin Labor History Society also sponsors an annual undergraduate Frank P. Zeidler Scholarship inlabor history.[29]
TheMilwaukee Public Library's historic collections are housed in the Frank P. Zeidler Humanities Room, named in his honor.[citation needed]
On May 21, 2006, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree fromCardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee.[4]
An urban park in downtown Milwaukee bears Zeidler's name. Zeidler Union Park (originally named for priest and explorerJacques Marquette)[30] now hosts the Westown Farmer's Market and other smaller festivals and gatherings.[31]
Zeidler and his wife, Agnes, were married for 67 years and raised six children together.[4]
Zeidler's daughter, Jeanne Zeidler, served as mayor ofWilliamsburg,Virginia, from 1998 until 2010, when she retired.[32][33]
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Milwaukee 1948–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Progressive nominee forState Treasurer of Wisconsin 1940 | Succeeded by Albert C. Johnson |
| Preceded by Darlington Hoopes (1956) | Socialist PartyPresidentialcandidate 1976 (lost) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
