Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office September 30, 1925 – January 3, 1947
Preceded by	Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Succeeded by	Joseph McCarthy
Born	February 6, 1895(1895-02-06) Madison, Wisconsin
Died	February 24, 1953 (aged 58) Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican Progressive
Spouse	Rachel Wilson Young

Robert Marion La Follette, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – February 24, 1953) was an American senator from Wisconsin from 1925 to 1947, the son of Robert M. La Follette, Sr., the brother of Philip La Follette, and the brother-in-law of the playwright George Middleton. Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... This article is about the U.S. state. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. ... This article is about the U.S. senator from Wisconsin (1947-1957). ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Madison (disambiguation). ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... GOP redirects here. ... The United States Progressive Party of 1924 was a national ticket created by Robert M. La Follette, Sr. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. ... La Follette, as pictured on a 1928 cover of Time Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897–August 18, 1965), son of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. ...

Early life and career

La Follette was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1913 to 1917, but did not graduate due to an illness. This same illness prevented him from serving in the military during World War I. He served as private secretary to his father between 1919 and 1925. He married Rachel Wilson Young in 1930, and they had two sons, Joseph Oden and Bronson Cutting. For other uses, see Madison (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... University of Wisconsin redirects here. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Secretary (disambiguation). ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Senate

La Follette was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on September 29, 1925, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father. "Young Bob," as he was called, was a champion of organized labor. He gained national prominence between 1936 and 1940 as chairman of a special Senate investigating committee, commonly called the La Follette Civil Liberties Committee, which exposed the surveillance, physical intimidation and other techniques used by large employers to prevent workers from organizing. GOP redirects here. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a group of workers who act collectively to address common issues. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... LaFollette Civil Liberties Committee or more formally, Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee Investigating Violations of Free Speech and the Rights of Labor (1933-1941) began as an inquiry into a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigation of methods used by employers in certain industries to avoid collective bargaining with...

He was chairman of the Committee on Manufactures in the 71st and 72nd Congresses. He supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt and most New Deal legislation until the passage of the 1938 naval expansion bill. The 71st United States Congress met from 1929 to 1931. ... The 72nd Congress met from December 7, 1931 to March 3, 1933. ... FDR redirects here. ... This article is about the policy program of US President Franklin D Roosevelt. ...

This cartoon depicts the end of the forty-year La Follette dynasty, as Joseph R. McCarthy beat three-term incumbent Robert M. La Follette, Jr., in the 1946 Republican primary in Wisconsin. Drawn by Clifford K. Berryman.

He was reelected as a Republican in 1928. With his brother Philip, he formed the Progressive Party in 1934, and for a time the party was dominant in Wisconsin. He was reelected with the Progressive Party in 1934 and 1940. The Progressives later dissolved, and La Follette returned to the Republican Party in 1946. La Follette was considered the Senate's leading isolationist and helped found the America First Committee. He helped draft and passage of the Congressional Reorganization Act of 1946, which modernized the legislative process in Congress.^[1] Image File history File links Lafollette_dynasty. ... Image File history File links Lafollette_dynasty. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Progressive Party of 1924 was a national ticket created by Robert M. La Follette, Sr. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Isolationism is a diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations. ... The America First Committee was the foremost pressure group against American entry into the Second World War. ...

Defeat

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as a Republican in 1946. He ran a conservative campaign against the United Nations and was critical of Stalin, but ended up losing to Joseph McCarthy in the Republican primary by about 5000 votes.^[2] After the election La Follette claimed that Communists in the labor unions had contributed to his defeat. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... This article is about the U.S. senator from Wisconsin (1947-1957). ...

Later life and suicide

After his defeat by McCarthy, he was a foreign aid advisor to the Truman administration. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Development aid. ... For other persons named Harry Truman, see Harry Truman (disambiguation). ...

In a February 8, 1947 Collier's Weekly article, La Follette reported his experience with infiltration of Communists onto Congressional Committee staffs. The Venona project materials revealed four agents of Soviet intelligence which had served on his Civil Liberties Subcommittee, including the Chief Counsel, John Abt. is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Colliers (May 7, 1932) Colliers Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. ... The Venona project was a long-running and highly secret collaboration between intelligence agencies of the United States and United Kingdom that involved the cryptanalysis of messages sent by several intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union. ... The NKVD (Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del  ) (Russian: , ) or Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the leading secret police organization of the Soviet Union that was responsible for political repressions during Stalinism. ... John J. Abt (1904–1991) was an American lawyer and politician. ...

On February 24, 1953, La Follette was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Washington, D.C. On September 9, 1953, John Lautner testified before McCarthy's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and revealed he knew of Communists who had served on La Follette's subcommittee. Some historians believe that La Follette killed himself out of fear of being called by McCarthy; others believe he succumbed to anxiety and depression, which plagued him for much of his life.^[3] He is interred at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin,^[4] and is survived by his son, Bronson La Follette. ^[5] is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Lautner (16 July 1911 – 24 October 1994), influential American architect whose work in Southern California combines progressive engineering with humane design and dramatic space-age flair. ... The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is currently chaired by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), with Carl Levin (D-MI) as a ranking member. ... Forest Hill Cemetery is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin and was one of the first U.S. National Cemeteries established in Wisconsin. ... For other uses, see Madison (disambiguation). ... Bronson Cutting La Follette (born February 2, 1936) was attorney general of the state of Wisconsin from 1965 to 1969 and November 25, 1974 to 1987. ...

Awards and honors

The University of Wisconsin awarded La Follette an honorary LL.D. degree in 1938. He also received Collier's Magazine award for outstanding public service in 1946. Legum Doctor (English: Doctor of Laws; abbreviated to LL.D.) In the UK the LL.D. is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications, containing significant and original contributions to the science or study of law. ... Colliers Weekly was a United States magazine that was published between 1888 and 1957. ...

References

The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Robert M. La Follette, Jr. at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Robert M. La Follette, Jr., Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin Stae Historical Society
• "La Follette suicide linked to fear of McCarthy" 17 May 2003 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
• Matusow, Harvey "The FBI, and the Justice Department: Becoming a Government Informer-witness in the McCarthy Era"
• La Follette at the Dictionary of Wisconsin History
• Maney, Patrick, "Joe McCarthy's First Victim", Virginia Quarterly Review, Summer 2001
• Youngs, William, American Realities, Sixth Edition Volume 2, Eastern Washington University, 2006.

v • d • e United States Senators from Wisconsin
Class 1: Dodge • Doolittle • Carpenter • Cameron • Sawyer • Mitchell • Quarles • La Follette, Sr. • La Follette, Jr. • McCarthy • Proxmire • Kohl Class 3: Walker • Durkee • Howe • Carpenter • Cameron • Spooner • Vilas • Spooner • Stephenson • Husting • Lenroot • Blaine • Duffy • Wiley • Nelson • Kasten • Feingold