The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, the older of the two major political parties in Wisconsin, began its formation even before the territory became a state. Out of an agricultural, mining, rural and immigrant base, the Democratic Party won political control of the state during the early 1850s. However, as a result of the Civil War, the political alignment changed radically and with few exceptions, the state was regularly Republican until 1932.
At the turn of the century, the Republican alignment shifted again when Robert M. La Follette, Sr., gathered the more issue-oriented reformers into his personal faction within the Republican Party, and until 1934 most important political decisions in Wisconsin were made within that party's organization. Despite a different political base, during this period Wisconsin Democrats did not differ markedly in political philosophy from the Stalwart Republicans. One historian has called the state party of this era a “German-Irish-Polish marching society, with a Catholic base.”
The political alignment in Wisconsin changed again during the Depression. Under Albert Schmedeman the Democrats swept to power in 1932 on President Franklin Roosevelt's coattails. However, the state party leadership maintained its conservative philosophy, and as a result, the majority of the liberals in the state joined the Progressive Party, a third party formed by La Follette's sons in 1934. From 1934 until 1938, when the Democrats cooperated with the Republicans to defeat them, the Progressives were the dominant party in the state. Because this period in the Democratic Party's history is entirely undocumented in this collection, researchers are advised to consult secondary sources for further details.
The history of what has sometimes been called the modern Democratic Party has its roots in the Democratic gubernatorial candidacy of former Socialist Daniel J. Hoan in 1944, and the disbanding of the Progressive Party and the La Follettes' return to the Republican Party in 1946. Left without a vehicle for their liberal political philosophy, some Democrats and former Progressives began discussions of ways in which to revitalize the Democratic Party.
Because of statutory limitations on political parties' activities and spending in Wisconsin, it was determined that a voluntary organization was needed. At a meeting on May 19, 1948 in Fond du Lac, a provisional Democratic Organizing Committee was formed. A constitutional convention was called for Green Bay in November 1949. At this meeting, to which over 50 county groups sent representatives, a constitution was adopted and officers elected. Local organization received great attention from the DNC, and by 1950 there were established DOC chapters in 70 of Wisconsin's 71 counties. In addition, the number of Democrats contesting for elective office increased rapidly. In 1950 the Fairchild/Thompson slate won almost 47% of the vote (an increase from 39 in 1946). The 1952 election in which Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was ultimately re-elected served as a great stimulus to party organization and fundraising. In 1953 the party threw off its provisional character by changing its name to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
During the 1950s William Proxmire carried the chief campaign burden for the party, losing the gubernatorial contests in 1952, 1954, and 1956. Then, in a special election in 1957 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, the first statewide electoral breakthrough for the party. The organization work of the early 1950s began to pay off in the following year when Proxmire was re-elected and Gaylord Nelson headed a victorious statewide ticket. The Democrats have since elected several more governors and another U.S. senator, and in the 1970s were able to win control of both houses of the state legislature. Apart from the importance of this achievement for the Democrats, the party's electoral success brought Wisconsin into the national two-party political pattern for the first time since the 1850s.
