Emil Seidel (December 13, 1864 – June 24, 1947) was a prominent
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. Seidel was the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
from 1910 to 1912. The first
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
mayor of a major city in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, Seidel became the
Vice Presidential candidate for the
Socialist Party of America in the
1912 presidential election.
Biography
Early years
Seidel was born December 13, 1864 in the town of
Ashland in
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the son of ethnic
German emigrants from
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
.
[Edward S. Kerstein, ''Milwaukee's All-American Mayor: Portrait of Daniel Webster Hoan.'' Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1966; p. 68.]["Our Candidates Emil Seidel", ''Cleveland Socialist'', whole no. 48 (September 21, 1912), pg. 2.] His family moved to
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 ...
in 1867, living first in
Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821.
Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...
before moving to the state capital of
Madison.
Seidel's father, Otto Seidel, was a carpenter, and his mother, Henrietta Knoll Seidel, was a homemaker.
Seidel attended public school up to the age of 13, when he dropped out to become a woodcarver.
He continued to study after leaving school, reading extensively.
At the age of 19 he started a
trade union
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 ...
of local woodworkers, becoming the organization's first secretary.
At the age of 22, Seidel went abroad to refine his skills as a woodcarver.
He lived for six years in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, working at his trade during the day and attending school at night.
It was in this period that Seidel first became an active socialist.
[Kerstein, ''Milwaukee's All-American Mayor,'' p. 69.]
In 1895, Seidel married the former Lucy Geissel.
They had one son, Lucius, who died in infancy, and one daughter, Viola. The pair would ultimately divorce in 1924.
[Kerstein, ''Milwaukee's All-American Mayor,'' p. 70.]
Political career
When Seidel returned to the United States in 1892 he joined the
Socialist Labor Party of America. Seidel was a charter member of the first SLP branch in Milwaukee.
He also became an active member of the Pattern Makers Union.
Seidel later joined the
Social Democracy of America (established 1897), the
Social Democratic Party of America (established 1898), and the
Socialist Party of America (established 1901) in turn. He resided briefly in
Washington state
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
, serving as the first secretary of Local
Redmond SPA in the fall of 1901.
In 1904 Seidel was one of nine Socialists to win electoral victory as Milwaukee city
aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...
, elected in the city's 20th ward.
He served two terms in that position before making his first mayoral run in 1908.
He was returned as a city alderman at large in the election of 1909.
In 1910, Seidel was elected mayor of Milwaukee, becoming the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States.
During his administration the first public works department was established, the first fire and police commission was organized, and a city park system came into being. Seidel cleaned up the town with strict regulation of bars and the closing of
brothels
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub ...
and sporting parlors (modern-day
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
s). During his administration Seidel employed the noted American poet and author
Carl Sandburg
Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...
as his personal secretary. Seidel's socialist inclinations had attracted Sandburg to Milwaukee.
In his Spring 1912 bid for re-election, Seidel faced the
combined forces of the
Democratic and
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
parties, who ran a single candidate in order to defeat Seidel and the Socialists.
[Kerstein, ''Milwaukee's All-American Mayor,'' p. 67.] Despite winning more votes in 1912 than in 1910, Seidel was defeated by
Gerhard Bading, local doctor, professor of surgery, and commissioner of health, on a
fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
Democratic-Republican ticket.
Freed of his mayoral duties by electoral defeat, Seidel became a logical choice as the Socialist Party's nominee for
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
on the ticket with
Eugene V. Debs. The pair won 901,551 votes in the 1912 presidential election, 6% of the total vote.
Seidel tried to win re-election as mayor of Milwaukee in 1914, but was soundly defeated.
He was returned to the city council as an alderman at large in the city election of 1916.
He won re-election in 1918, remaining at the post until 1920.
Seidel, an opponent of
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 ...
, voted against Milwaukee's purchase of
Liberty bonds to help finance the war effort.
He also was an outspoken opponent of a proposed Milwaukee "loyalty ordinance".
In the superheated wartime political climate, marked by political repression of the anti-war movement, Seidel ran afoul of the law when he was arrested on November 12, 1917, in
Horicon, Wisconsin
Horicon is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,655 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Horicon is located at (43.4482, -88.6329). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which ...
following a speech he made there.
Charged with "tending to provoke an assault or breach of peace during an address", he was fined $50.
In 1932, Seidel ran for a seat in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
from Wisconsin, winning 6% of the vote. He served a final four-year stint as a Milwaukee city alderman from 1932 until 1936.
Later years
Seidel retired from political life in the middle 1930s. He remained a resident of Milwaukee, living on the northwest side of the city, passing his time painting, composing music, creating poetry, and writing his autobiography.
[Kerstein, ''Milwaukee's All-American Mayor,'' p. 71.]
Death and legacy
Seidel died in Milwaukee on June 24, 1947, following an illness of several months' duration related to complications from a heart condition.
He was 82 years old.
Seidel's unpublished memoirs reside in Madison at the
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
, where they are available to scholars on microfilm.
See also
*
List of elected socialist mayors in the United States
*
Daniel Hoan
Daniel Webster Hoan (March 12, 1881 – June 11, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1940. A lawyer who had served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1910 to 1916, Hoan was a promin ...
*
Frank P. Zeidler
*
Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin
: ''This article deals with the Wisconsin state affiliate established in 1897 of the Social Democratic Party of America and its successor, the Socialist Party of America. For the current party affiliated with the Socialist Party USA, see Socialist ...
References
Works
*''What We Have Done in Milwaukee.'' Chicago, IL: National Office of the Socialist Party, 1911.
*''Which Must Go? America or Private Ownership of Railroads?'' Milwaukee: Socialist Party of Wisconsin, 1923.
''Thy Kingdom Come: Sketches from My Life: Autobiography of Emil Seidel.''944
Year 944 (Roman numerals, CMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine wars, Arab–Byzantine War: Byzantine forces are de ...
Madison, WI: State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
''Joining the Socialist Movement.''Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2013.
''Building the Social Democratic Party.''Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2013.
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seidel, Emil
1864 births
1947 deaths
American trade unionists of German descent
American woodcarvers
Mayors of Milwaukee
Milwaukee Common Council members
Patternmakers (industrial)
People from Ashland, Pennsylvania
Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin
1912 United States vice-presidential candidates
Writers from Pennsylvania
Writers from Wisconsin