Albert George Schmedeman (November 25, 1864November 26, 1946) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

politician and diplomat. He was the 28th governor of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and was U.S. Minister to Norway during the presidency of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and during the negotiations ending

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was mayor of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, for four terms, and, to date, is the only mayor of Madison to be elected governor of Wisconsin. He was the only Democratic governor of Wisconsin between 1895 and 1959, a period when Wisconsin was more often than not essentially a one-party Republican state where third parties often provided stronger opposition than did the Democratic Party.

Biography

Schmedeman was born in

, the son of Heinrich Schmedeman, a " Forty-Eighter" from Germany. Albert Schmedeman was elected to the Madison City Council in 1904, serving for four years. He also served the community as fire and police commissioner, and as a member of the local board of education.Governor Albert G. Schmedeman
National Governor's Association. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Schmedeman ran for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1910 but lost to

John M. Nelson John Mandt Nelson (October 10, 1870 – January 29, 1955) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Early life John Mandt Nelson was born on October 10, 1870, in Burke, Wisconsin. Nelson attended the public schools and graduated from the Unive ...

. In 1913 he was appointed the United States Minister to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and held this position until 1921. During that time, Schmedeman accepted the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

on behalf of President

in 1919, and was awarded the Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olaf The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1921 by

Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...

. After concluding his service as Minister to Norway, Schmedeman planned to retire from politics, but was, instead, elected mayor of Madison, serving from 1926 to 1932. In 1932 he was elected Governor of Wisconsin and served from 1933 to 1935. His term was both preceded and succeeded by

Philip La Follette Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897August 18, 1965) was an American politician. He was the List of Governors of Wisconsin, 27th and List of Governors of Wisconsin, 29th Governor of Wisconsin, as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progre ...

, son of former governor

Robert M. La Follette Sr. Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...

In 1934, while attending the dedication for

Rib Mountain State Park Rib Mountain State Park is a Wisconsin state park near the city of Wausau. The park includes a ski resort, Granite Peak Ski Area, concession stand, picnic areas, a reservable amphitheater, a former quarry, observation tower, and 15.1 miles of ...

and campaigning for a second term, Schmedeman slipped on some loose rock and injured his foot.

Gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

developed, necessitating the amputation of his leg. After his service as governor concluded, Schmedeman went on to be named Federal Housing Administrator for Wisconsin by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, a post that he held from 1935 until 1942. Schmedeman was fluent in German and also proficient in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

References

External links

Albert G. Schmedeman, Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin State Historical Society

Albert George Schmedemann
'sic''at the

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...

website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmedeman, Albert G. 1864 births 1946 deaths American amputees American people of German descent Democratic Party governors of Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Mayors of Madison, Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin Ambassadors of the United States to Norway American politicians with disabilities Madison Business College alumni Woodrow Wilson administration personnel Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Burials in Wisconsin