Georgia Cozzini 1974 Gov of WI Candidate SLP

Georgia Olive Cozzini (February 14, 1915 – October 10, 1983) was an American

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 ...

politician. She is best remembered as the first woman to run for 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 for two consecutive runs as the Vice Presidential candidate of the

Socialist Labor Party of America The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924 ...

, appearing on the ballot in 1956 and 1960.

Biography

Early years

Georgia Cozzini was born Georgia Olive Purvis on February 14, 1915 in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...

. She married Artemio Cozzini, who invented the hollow-cup knife grinding machine, in 1936 and the pair settled in Artemio's hometown,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 i ...

. The couple had two children, Bruce (1936-2022) and Gina (born 1945)."Socialist Labor Party Like the Poor Always With Us,"
''Tri-City Herald,'' asco, WA November 5, 1956, pg. 3. Accessed February 18, 2010.

Political career

Cozzini was an active member of the

Socialist Labor Party The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924 ...

(SLP). She was the first woman to run for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscon ...

, heading the state SLP ticket in 1942. She ran for this office again in 1970 and 1974. Cozzini ran twice for 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 po ...

in Wisconsin, appearing as part of the SLP slate in 1946 and again in 1958. Cozzini was twice the nominee of the SLP 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 p ...

, running in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

on the ticket with

Eric Hass Eric Hass (March 4, 1905 – October 2, 1980) was a four-time Socialist Labor candidate for President of the United States. Life Hass was of German and Danish ancestry, and was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1905. He died of a heart attack i ...

, editor of the SLP's national newspaper, '' The Weekly People.''

Death and legacy

Georgia Cozzini died on October 10, 1983. As requested, members of her family spread her ashes on the Northern Wisconsin Lake, where the family had spent many summers vacationing.

References

External links

* Georgia Cozzini, . Video. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
Georgia Cozzini: A Socialist Heart
1915 births 1983 deaths 1956 United States vice-presidential candidates 1960 United States vice-presidential candidates Women in Wisconsin politics Female candidates for Vice President of the United States Politicians from Springfield, Missouri Politicians from Milwaukee 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians Socialist Labor Party of America politicians from Wisconsin {{Women's-History-stub