Walter Polakowski | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Roman B. J. Kwasniewski, 1925 | |
| Member of theWisconsin Senate from the3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 1923 – January 7, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | George L. Buck |
| Succeeded by | Max Galasinski |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 8th district | |
| In office January 3, 1921 – January 1, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Kubatzki |
| Succeeded by | John Polakowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1888-01-18)January 18, 1888 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1966(1966-11-13) (aged 78) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Socialist(before 1935) Progressive(1935–1946) Democratic(after 1946) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Upholsterer, trade union activist, small business owner |
Walter Polakowski (January 18, 1888 – November 13, 1966) was an Americanupholsterer,trade union activist, and small business owner fromMilwaukee,Wisconsin who served as aSocialist member of theWisconsin State Assembly andWisconsin State Senate for a total of 14 years.[1] He was the older brother ofJohn Polakowski, who succeeded him in the Assembly in 1922.
Polakowski was born inBuffalo, New York on January 18, 1888 to a family of Polish descent,[2] and came to Milwaukee with his family around 1900. He began working while still a child, as anewsboy andbootblack; at the age of 14 he wasapprenticed to an upholsterer, and by the age of 18 represented the Upholsterers' Union in theMilwaukee Federated Trades Council. He married Catherine at 19 and went into thegrocery andsaloon business, becoming a proprietor at 21. He later sold out and went into theinsurance business until 1920, when he established the Union Upholstering and Auto Trim Shop. He had never held a public office until elected to the Assembly in 1920.
In 1920, he unseated incumbentDemocraticincumbentFrank Kubatzki (who had served three terms representing the 8thMilwaukee County District [8thWard of the City of Milwaukee]), by 1593 votes to Kubatski's 1572. He was assigned to thestanding committee onfinance.[3]
In the fall of 1922 he was elected to the State Senate from the3rd District (8th, 11th, 14th and 24th wards of the City of Milwaukee), receiving 5,778 votes to 3,796 forRepublican Thaddeus J. Pruss, and his younger brother John (also a Socialist) was elected to the Assembly seat which included his old district. He was assigned to thejoint committees on finance and onhighways.[4] He was unopposed for re-election in 1926 (only two votes were cast against him), and was assigned to the committee oncorporations andtaxation.[5] In 1928, he was the Socialist nominee forCongress fromWisconsin's 4th congressional district, losing to Republican incumbentJohn Schafer in a three-way race.[6] He was re-elected in 1930, tallying more votes than his Democratic and Republican opponents combined; and remained on the corporations and finance committee.[7] He again served as the Socialist nominee for Congress in 1932, coming in third in a four-way contest which sawRaymond Cannon oust incumbent Schafer.[8]
Before the 1934 election, his old district was eliminated duringredistricting and he ran for re-election from the new 7th Senate District, which included only one ward from his old district, but added several suburban cities and townships. He was defeated by Democratic AssemblymanMax Galasinski in a four-way race.[9]
William Evjue wrote of Polakowski and his fellowWisconsin Socialists, "[The] lobbyists knew it was not possible to influence these men. They were incorruptible. Walter Polakowski was the same kind."[10]
By 1937, Polakowski was working as aunion organizer for theAmalgamated Clothing Workers of America.[11] He also worked briefly as an organizer for the Socialist Party, before being fired (allegedly for his announced intention to run for the Senate against a candidate endorsed by theFarmer-Labor Progressive Federation.[12]
In August 1939, when his wife filed for divorce, he was working as abartender; the couple at that time had two adult children, and a 17-year-old daughter, Phyllis.[13]
Polakowski would twice more try to return to the Senate from the Third District, running unsuccessfully for theProgressive nomination in 1942.[14] He sought the Democratic nomination in a 1949special election,[15] but campaigned openly as a Socialist, denouncing plans to introduce a "right to work" bill in the legislature.[16]
In May 1963 atestimonial dinner was held in Polakowski's honor, at which he was termed "the father ofunemployment compensation laws".[17]
He died on November 13, 1966.[18]
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