Robert La Follette Jr.

Robert La Follette Jr.
Name	Robert La Follette Jr.
Birth date	November 2, 1895
Birth place	Madison, Wisconsin
Death date	February 24, 1953
Death place	Washington, D.C.
Occupation	Politician, U.S. Senator
Party	Republican; Progressive
Parents	Robert M. La Follette Sr.; Belle Case La Follette

Robert La Follette Jr. was a United States Senator from Wisconsin who succeeded his father, Robert M. La Follette Sr., and helped continue the Progressive Movement in the interwar years. He served from 1925 to 1947 and navigated alliances with figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Al Smith, and Wendell Willkie while addressing issues debated by contemporaries including Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Huey Long. La Follette Jr.'s career intersected with institutions like the United States Senate, Progressive Party (United States, 1924–34), and the American Federation of Labor during eras shaped by the Great Depression, New Deal, and World War II.

Early life and education

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, La Follette Jr. was the son of Robert M. La Follette Sr. and Belle Case La Follette, linking him to a network that included reformers such as Hugo Black, William Jennings Bryan, and Upton Sinclair through shared Progressive causes. He attended University of Wisconsin–Madison where he was influenced by the Wisconsin Idea and professors like John R. Commons and peers connected to the National Consumers League and League of Nations advocates. La Follette Jr. later studied law at Harvard Law School and worked in legal and political circles that included alumni ties to Charles Evans Hughes, Felix Frankfurter, and Elihu Root.

Political career

After his father's death in 1925, he was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor John J. Blaine and won election to complete the term, entering a chamber with leaders such as Senator George Norris, Robert M. La Follette Sr.'s contemporaries like Hiram Johnson, and national figures including Calvin Coolidge and Warren G. Harding. He aligned with the Progressive Party and worked with labor leaders such as Samuel Gompers and John L. Lewis while engaging with policy debates involving the Federal Reserve System, the Tariff Act of 1930, and commissions that drew attention from Committee on Interstate Commerce members. In the Senate he served alongside Democrats like Alben W. Barkley and Republicans such as William E. Borah and maintained relationships with internationalists in circles that included Norman Thomas and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Legislative achievements and positions

La Follette Jr. championed measures that reflected the reformist legacy of his father, supporting anti-trust enforcement efforts connected to cases pursued by the Department of Justice and endorsing hearings similar to those led by Senator Robert M. La Follette Sr.'s allies. He backed agricultural relief related to the Agricultural Adjustment Act debates, engaged in tariff reform matters connected to the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, and supported banking reform initiatives that intersected with legislation inspired by Glass–Steagall Act discussions. On foreign policy he opposed aspects of isolationism espoused by figures such as Charles Lindbergh and aligned at times with internationalist sentiment similar to that of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Morgenthau Jr.. La Follette Jr. also played roles in oversight of corporate power akin to inquiries associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy's later style and worked on veterans' benefits issues alongside groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

1934 Progressive primary and later political decline

In the 1934 Wisconsin primary, La Follette Jr. faced a fracturing political base as the national Progressive configuration shifted following the 1924 Progressive presidential campaign and amid tensions with New Deal Democrats such as Huey Long supporters and Frances Perkins's administration allies. He contended with challengers influenced by labor factions like the Congress of Industrial Organizations and personalities such as Philip La Follette and Bob La Follette Sr.'s other aligned figures. Over the late 1930s and 1940s his standing eroded in contests that involved key Wisconsin leaders including Gaylord Nelson and opponents drawing support from groups like the Republican National Committee and isolationist networks associated with America First Committee. The culmination came with his 1946 defeat by Joseph McCarthy, reflecting postwar political realignments involving Cold War anxieties and constituencies mobilized by figures such as J. Edgar Hoover and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Post-Senate career and activism

After leaving the Senate, La Follette Jr. remained active in public affairs, associating with reform-minded personalities like Adlai Stevenson II and policy arenas in Washington, D.C. that included think tanks related to the Brookings Institution and advocacy groups connected to Common Cause precursors. He worked on issues tied to civil liberties alongside organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and took positions on international matters alongside former colleagues from the League of Nations advocacy network and postwar institutions like the United Nations. La Follette Jr. also engaged with legal practice and publishing circles that intersected with editors from outlets like the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Personal life and legacy

La Follette Jr. married into a milieu connected to Wisconsin intellectuals and national reformers; his family ties linked him to progressive jurists like Roscoe Pound and cultural figures associated with the Progressive Era. His death in Washington, D.C. in 1953 preceded renewed scholarly interest by historians such as Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and biographers who placed him within the narrative of the Progressive Movement alongside names like Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Eugene V. Debs. His legacy is invoked in institutional histories of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, studies of the New Deal, and analyses of mid-century political shifts that consider the trajectories of Joseph McCarthy, Robert A. Taft, and later progressive figures like Paul Wellstone.

Category:United States senators from Wisconsin Category:La Follette family Category:1895 births Category:1953 deaths