The
La Follettes of Wisconsin
Love
and Politics in Progressive America
Bernard
A. Weisberger
An intimate portrait of the Progressive movement and the revealing, poignant story of an American political family
The La Follettes of Wisconsin—Robert, Belle, and their children, Bob Jr., Phil, Fola, and Mary—are vividly brought to life in this collective biography of an American political family. As governor of Wisconsin (1901–06) and U.S. Senator (1906–25), “Fighting Bob” battled relentlessly for his Progressive vision of democracy—an idealistic mixture of informed citizenry and enlightened egalitarianism.
By contrast, the private man suffered from intense, isolated periods of depression and relied heavily on his family for survival. Together, “Old Bob” and his beloved wife, Belle Case La Follette—a lawyer, journalist, and Progressive leader in her own right—raised their children in the distinctly uncompromising La Follette tradition of challenging social and political ills. Fola became a campaigner for women’s suffrage, Phil was governor of Wisconsin, and “Young Bob” became a U.S. Senator.
“Highly readable, judicious in tone, aware of the La Follettes’ limitations while insistent upon their manifest accomplishments, committed in its admiration of reform values and goals, and long overdue. Its attention to love and affection within the [La Follette] family demonstrates how important these values and relationships can be to any family, including political ones.” —John E. Miller, Reviews in American History
 Bernard
A. Weisberger is currently the "In the News" columnist for American
Heritage. In his distinguished career he has published seventeen
books and countless articles on Americana. His television and
film credentials include collaborations with Bill Moyers and
Ken Burns.
Media & bookseller inquiries regarding review copies, events, and interviews can be directed to the publicity department at publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu or (608) 263-0734. (If you want to examine a book for possible course use, please see our Course Books page. If you want to examine a book for possible rights licensing, please see Rights & Permissions.)
Of Related Interest
 Unsafe for Democracy
World War I and the U.S. Justice Department’s Covert Campaign to Suppress Dissent
William H. Thomas Jr.
“An important and timely book.... An invaluable contribution to our understanding of the history of the FBI and of the pernicious legacy of national security policy on the right to dissent.” —Athan Theoharis, Marquette University, author of The FBI and American Democracy |
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FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION
December 2013
LC: 93-032286 E
382 pp. 6 x 9 24 b/w photos
“Focusing on the intense personal relationships that bound the state’s first family together in the pursuit of the public good, Weisberger’s account breaks fresh ground in its analysis of the origins and development of Wisconsin Progressivism and enhances our understanding of Midwestern insurgency.”
—James J. Lorence, Journal of American History |
