William Leroy La Follette (November 30, 1860 – December 20, 1934) was a four-term member of 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 ...

representing

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 1915 to 1919. La Follette was a member of the prominent

La Follette family The La Follette family is a prominent family in the United States, especially in Wisconsin. Many of the family members have pursued political office. Members * Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (1855–1925), District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsi ...

Early life and education

William Leroy La Follette was born in Thorntown, Indiana, on November 30, 1860. In 1854 William's father, Harvey LaFollette, was just 22 years old and newly married. He moved from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Primrose, Wisconsin The Town of Primrose is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of 2018, the population was 731. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.8 square miles (92.8 km), all of it lan ...

to join his older brother Josiah (15 years his senior) in a farming venture. The LaFollettes had lived in the Knob Creek area of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

for a generation before William's grandfather, Jesse LaFollette relocated his entire family to

Putnam County, Indiana Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 37,963. The county seat is Greencastle. The county was named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a g ...

in order to leave land title and slavery issues behind him. William's brother,

Harvey Marion LaFollette Harvey Marion LaFollette (September 8, 1858 – September 20, 1929) was an American teacher and educator, who as a young man, served two terms as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. He then moved to Tennessee, where he established the tow ...

, and his cousin,

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 ...

, were both born in Primrose in log cabins built by the two LaFollette brothers. After Josiah's premature death from diabetes, William's father returned to Indiana, settling near other LaFollette relatives where he continued farming and built a flour mill. William's birth took place shortly after his family's arrived in

Thorntown, Indiana Thorntown is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Boone County, Indiana. The population was 1,520 at the time of the 2010 census. Thorntown is located in northwestern Boone County, about halfway between Lafayette and Indianapolis. History The first p ...

late in 1860. For five years additional siblings arrived and his family grew and prospered. Tragedy struck in 1865 when his father was killed in an industrial accident at the mill. William worked on the farm, clerked in a store, learned the jewelry business, and attended the local normal (public) schools. William and his older brother, Harvey, both left their Indiana home in 1876. Harvey travelled to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

to continue his studies in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The sixteen-year-old William headed west to the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

and took up farming in Whitman County, an area in the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

that had been off limits to settlers since the Indian Wars of the 1850s. Too young to qualify for land under the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of th ...

, he returned to Indiana where he took some business courses at

Central Indiana Normal College Canterbury College was a private institution located in Danville, Indiana, United States from 1878 to 1951. The school was known as Central Normal College prior to 1946. History The college was founded in 1876 as part of the larger statewide univ ...

(later

Canterbury College (Indiana) Canterbury College was a private institution located in Danville, Indiana, United States from 1878 to 1951. The school was known as Central Normal College prior to 1946. History The college was founded in 1876 as part of the larger statewide univ ...

Business career

He returned to the Palouse after these studies, staked his claim and began farming. He engaged in agricultural pursuits (mainly wheat), stock raising, and fruit growing. Later, he was extensively engaged as an

orchardist An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

at Wawawai on the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

, having purchased some 375 ac from his father-in-law,

John Tabor John Bayless Tabor "J.B." ( October 14, 1821 Tennessee- October 7, 1907 Colfax, Washington) was a 49er who crossed the plains to California shortly after the discovery of gold. He later settled in the Washington Territory and was one of the foun ...

(one of the founders of Whitman County) who had been among the first settlers to bring apples to the region. He added to these fruit holdings, expanded his crops, built an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

to transfer the fruit across river to access the new railroad, created a sawmill to make the wooden boxes for shipping, and was responsible for making Wawawai the largest shipping point for fruit along the

. He shipped many vegetables and hogs as well as fruit and, by the early 1900s, his land holdings along the river exceeded 1000 ac. In order to educate his family, La Follette built a large home in Pullman to be near

Washington State College Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant univer ...

. He sold a large portion of his fruit holdings and entered the world of national politics.

Public service and politics

La Follette was a member of the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

Commission and had charge of the Washington State building at the Chicago Exposition in 1893. He served as a member of the State House of Representatives from 1899 to 1901. He also served on the School Board and was an active member of the Grange. He was elected as a

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 ...

to the Sixty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1911 to March 3, 1919). He was active on the House Committee on Public Lands and engaged deeply in land use and water issues. His policy interests reached far beyond the region he represented in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. He fought for the passage of bills that brought water to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and the creation of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. He joined with his cousin,

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 ...

in opposing President

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 ...

's foreign policy decisions, and like his cousin voted against declaring war on Germany. For much of the time he was in Congress, the two LaFollette families shared a large house that he had purchased in Mount Pleasant, Washington D.C. The house became a center for debate and discussions of the great issues of the day as a steady stream of politicians, policy makers, academics, artists and labor and business leaders debated late into the night. In 1918 he ran unsuccessfully for renomination in the Republican primary.

Later years and death

After leaving elected office La Follette resided in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

from 1920 to 1923 and in

Princess Anne, Maryland Princess Anne is a town in Somerset County, Maryland, Somerset County, Maryland, United States, that also serves as its county seat. Its population was 3,290 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is included in the Salisbury metropolita ...

from 1924 to 1925.After the failed presidential bid and death of his cousin Robert, William La Follette returned permanently to the Palouse. He moved to

Colfax, Washington Colfax is the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census. The population is estimated at 2,911 per the State of Washington Office of Financial Management in 2018 making Colfax the secon ...

in 1927 and resumed his former business activities. Both he and his wife, Mary Tabor, died in 1934.

Family

He was a member of the politically prominent

. His son, William Leroy "Roy" LaFollette Jr., served for many years as Prosecuting Attorney for Whitman County (1922–1930 and again during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

). He successfully ran for his father's old seat in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

in 1939, but was defeated in 1942 in a bid for Congress. One of his daughters,

Suzanne La Follette Suzanne Clara La Follette (June 24, 1893 – April 23, 1983) was an American journalist and author who advocated for libertarian feminism in the first half of the 20th century. As an editor she helped found several magazines. She was an early and a ...

, became a noted libertarian journalist. She helped to found ''

The Freeman ''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...

'' and ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...

'' magazines. Another son, Chester La Follette, was a painter whose portrait of his father's first cousin, U.S. Senator

of Wisconsin, hangs in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. William La Follette Sr.'s brother,

, served as

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th sta ...

before moving to Tennessee, where he founded the city of

LaFollette, Tennessee LaFollette is a city in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 7,456 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2018 of 6,737. It is the principal city of the LaFollette, Tennessee micropolitan statistical area, w ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:La Follette, William 1860 births 1934 deaths People from Thorntown, Indiana La Follette family Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives American orchardists Farmers from Indiana People from Colfax, Washington People from Pullman, Washington People from Primrose, Wisconsin Canterbury College (Indiana) alumni