Frank Zeidler

Frank Paul Zeidler (September 20, 1912 – July 7, 2006) was an American socialist politician and mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving three terms from April 20, 1948, to April 18, 1960. Zeidler, a member of the Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the Socialist Party of America, is the most recent Socialist Party candidate to be elected mayor of a large American city.

Early life and career

Zeidler was born in Milwaukee on September 20, 1912.

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 of communism, especially communism linked in any way to the Soviet 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.

Zeidler became an active member of the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL), the youth branch of the Socialist Party of America. He later became the leader of the Milwaukee branch of the Red Falcons during the 1930s, and served as secretary of the Socialist Party of Wisconsin early in 1938 and again from late 1938 to 1941.

Elections

Zeidler was elected as the surveyor of Milwaukee County in 1938 on the Progressive Party ballot line (the Socialist Party and Progressives were in coalition in Milwaukee at that time). In 1940, he was the Progressive nominee for Wisconsin State Treasurer, coming in second place with 31% of the vote.

In 1940, his older brother, Carl (a Republican), was elected mayor of Milwaukee. In 1942, Zeidler ran as the Socialist nominee for Governor 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 of World War II and was killed at sea when his ship was lost.

Mayoralty

thumb|left|upright=0.8|Zeidler 1949

Zeidler served as mayor of Milwaukee for three consecutive terms lasting cumulative twelve years (from April 20, 1948 to April 18, 1960). Zeidler himself would later remark that he considered his 1948 victory to have been an upset fueled by his late brother's popularity.

Zeidler was Milwaukee's third Socialist mayor (after Emil Seidel [1910-12] and Daniel Hoan [1916-40]), making Milwaukee the largest American city to elect three Socialists to its highest office (a fact that singer Alice Cooper pointed out in the 1992 film Wayne's World).

No socialist allies were elected to the Milwaukee 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. Zeidler also spearheaded the construction of the Milwaukee Arena, numerous library branches. He also supported efforts that resulted in the construction of Milwaukee County Stadium. Due to the slow pace of progress of the project under city management, During his mayoralty, the city avoided borrowing further money to repay loans.

Zeidler supported an effort to launch of a local public television station, which resulted in the creation of WMVS.

Assessments and reputation

In 1957, Milwaukee was ranked by Fortune Magazine as being one of the two best-governed large United States cities.

According to a 2007 Milwaukee 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. He supported a number of unsuccessful attempts to defeat Maier in subsequent elections.

Zeidler was instrumental in re-forming the Socialist Party USA in 1973, and served as its National Chair for many years. He was the party's presidential nominee in 1976, 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 in Milwaukee County. 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.

Zeidler remained a lifelong Milwaukee resident. He died at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital on July 7, 2006 (aged 93) of congestive heart failure and diverticulitis.

Zeidler's mayoral and personal papers are archived at Milwaukee Public Library. Several additional boxes of his papers are archived at the Golda Meir Library of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

On June 13, 1958, Zeidler was the first person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, which now sponsors the Frank P. Zeidler International

Graduate Student Travel Award, a scholarship enabling a non-American scholar to study for a master's degree in American history at UWM. The Wisconsin Labor History Society also sponsors an annual undergraduate Frank P. Zeidler Scholarship in labor history.

The Milwaukee Public Library's historic collections are housed in the Frank P. Zeidler Humanities Room, named in his honor.

On May 21, 2006, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. now hosts the Westown Farmer's Market and other smaller festivals and gatherings.

Family

Zeidler and his wife, Agnes, were married for 67 years and raised six children together.

Works

The Price of Honesty in Big Business (1943). Milwaukee.

References

External links

Oral History Interview with Frank Zeidler, July 17, 1981
"The Last Socialist Mayor". Interviewer, Amy Goodman. Democracy Now!. June 21, 2004.
"Before Bernie Sanders, There Was Zeidler, a Religious Socialist", The New York Times
Funeral service video clips includes tributes by Mayor Tom Barrett and historian John Gurda