Edward R. Garvey (April 18, 1940 – February 22, 2017) was an American lawyer, politician and activist.

Background

Garvey graduated from the University of Wisconsin (now the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

) and spent two years in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

; he then returned to Madison and entered the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

, where he earned a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

Law and union work

Soon after graduation, Garvey joined

Lindquist & Vennum Lindquist & Vennum LLP was a law firm of approximately 170 attorneys that provided corporate finance, transactional and litigation services for clients from offices in Minnesota, Colorado, and South Dakota. The firm was formed in 1968 when Lindqui ...

, a

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

. The firm worked for the

National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director De ...

(NFLPA), the

labor organization A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing the professional American football players in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), and in 1970 Garvey was assigned to counsel union president John Mackey regarding negotiations on a new four year

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

with the league's owners. Garvey was later offered the position of

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

in the now-certified NFLPA in 1971. Garvey served as its executive director until 1983, through two

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

s (in 1974 and 1982) and frequently invoking

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

legislation in his many court battles with the league. Garvey directed the NFLPA though a series of court battles that led, in 1975, to the ruling in Mackey v. NFL that antitrust laws applied to the NFL's restrictions on player movement. In 1976, armed with leverage regarding player movement from team to team, Garvey and the union won major concessions from the owners. Garvey's negotiations with the league exchanged the players' threat of pursuing a system of unfettered

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

for an improved package of player benefits. The

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...

became recognized by the owners as a full-fledged

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Natio ...

union, and damages totaling $13.65 million were awarded to past and present players for antitrust violations against them.

After leaving the NFLPA

After leaving the NFLPA, Garvey served as deputy

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

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 ...

under

Bronson La Follette Bronson Cutting La Follette (February 2, 1936 – March 15, 2018) was an American Democratic lawyer and politician. He was the 36th and 39th Attorney General of the state of Wisconsin, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsi ...

, serving as the number-two official in the

Wisconsin Department of Justice The Wisconsin Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency with jurisdiction throughout the state of Wisconsin. Its headquarters are in Madison, the state capital, with main offices in the Risser Justice Center in downtown Madison. The ...

and specializing in

environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

. Garvey also became a prominent leader with Wisconsin labor groups, particularly the Paperworkers Union (now

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

) in contract disputes with

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

. He organized the Fighting Bob Fest, named for

Robert M. La Follette 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 ...

Political career

Garvey was the editor and publisher of the political website FightingBob.com, which focused on Wisconsin and national issues from a progressive perspective. He regularly appeared on the local

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

national public radio affiliate

WHAD WHAD (90.7 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Delafield, Wisconsin and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Part of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), it airs WPR's "Ideas Network", consisting of news and talk programming. Like the ...

to provide a progressive viewpoint on a variety of topics. In 1986, Garvey ran for the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin, losing to Republican incumbent Bob Kasten by a small margin after a very bitter election. In an unsuccessful bid for Wisconsin governor in 1998 against three-term

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served ...

, Garvey sought to highlight campaign finance reform and limited contributions to his campaign to a fixed amount per donor. Thompson won by a wide margin.

Death

Garvey died of complications from Parkinson's Disease at a nursing home in

Verona, Wisconsin Verona is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, in the United States and is a suburb of Madison. The population was 14,030 at the 2020 census. The city is located ten miles southwest of downtown Madison within the Town of Verona. It is part of the ...

.Longtime political activist Ed Garvey has died
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Electoral history

1986 U.S. Senate election

Democratic primary

*Ed Garvey (D) *

Matt Flynn Matthew Clayton Flynn (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV over the Pitts ...

(D)

General election

* Bob Kasten (R) (inc.), 50.9% (754,573 votes) *Ed Garvey (D), 47.4% (702,963 votes)

1988 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate

Herb Kohl Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American businessman and politician. Alongside his brother and father, the Kohl family created the Kohl's department stores chain, of which Kohl went on to be president and CEO. Kohl also served as a ...

Tony Earl Anthony Scully Earl (born April 12, 1936) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic party and served as the 41st governor of Wisconsin from 1983 until 1987. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1958 and earned a J.D. fr ...

*Ed Garvey *

Doug La Follette Douglas J. La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental scientist, and politician. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and the longest-serving statewide elected official (excluding U.S. sen ...

1998 gubernatorial election

(R) (inc.), 60% *Ed Garvey (D), 39%

References

Sources

*
FightingBob.com, Garvey's blog.FightingBobFest.org, home of an annual progressive festival conceived by Garvey.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garvey, Ed 1940 births 2017 deaths Executive Directors of the National Football League Players Association Minnesota lawyers People from Burlington, Wisconsin Sports labor leaders United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Democrats Trade unionists from Wisconsin 20th-century American lawyers