Title: Daniel Webster Hoan Mayoral Records
Inclusive Dates: 1905-1987

Creators:

• Hoan, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster), 1881-1961.
• Milwaukee (Wis.). Office of the Mayor.

Call Number: City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 8

Quantity:

• 4.5 cubic ft. (11 boxes)
• 1 oversize folder

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Records of Dan Hoan, a socialist mayor of Milwaukee who served from 1916-1940. The collection is mostly comprised of his later years as mayor. Some personal papers are included as well. Contains correspondence, photographs, clippings, and other ephemera.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-cmac0008

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Daniel Webster Hoan, Socialist Mayor of Milwaukee from 1916–1940, was born on 12 March 1881 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He was the son of Daniel Webster Hoan and Margaret Augusta Hood. After his parents divorced in 1888, Hoan lived with his father. Several years after the death of his father in 1895, Hoan quit school and supported himself by working as a cook and farm laborer. He resumed his schooling in 1901 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in 1905. Hoan studied law at Kent College of Law in Chicago for several years after receiving his bachelor’s degree. He passed the bar exam in 1907 and moved to Milwaukee the following year. A notable accomplishment during his early years as an attorney in Wisconsin, he worked drafting a bill that would become the first state workmen’s compensation law in the nation.

He was elected City Attorney for Milwaukee in 1910 and was reelected in 1914. Hoan married Agnes Bernice Magner (1883-1941) in 1909. They had two children, Agnes Bernice and Daniel Webster III. Hoan was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1916 and continued to serve as mayor until 1940 when he was defeated by a political novice, Carl F. Zeidler, a Milwaukee assistant city attorney. Hoan’s tenure as mayor was notable for its longevity and its quality of governance. His commitment to a clean and efficient government, his fiscally sound economic policies and progressive social policies earned him a national reputation. In 1944, Hoan joined the Democratic Party and began a series of unsuccessful political campaigns for office. He ran for governor in 1944 and 1946, the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948, U.S. Senate in 1950, and state senate in 1952. Hoan was active in promoting Milwaukee’s harbor development and in improving the St. Lawrence Seaway. He married Gladys Arthur Townsend (1901-1952) of Muncie, Indiana, in 1944. Hoan died 11 June 1961.

1846-1847	Solomon Juneau
1847-1848	H. N. Wells
1848-1849	Byron Kilbourn
1849-1850	Don A. J. Upham
1851-1852	George H. Walker
1852-1853	Hans Crocker
1853-1854	George H. Walker
1854-1855	Byron Kilbourn
1855-1857	James B. Cross
1858-1859	William A. Prentiss
1859-1860	Herman L. Page
1860-1861	William Pitt Lynde
1861-1862	James S. Brown
1862-1863	Horace Chase
1863-1864	Edward O’Neill
1864-1865	Abner Kirby
1865-1867	John J. Tallmadge
1867-1870	Edward O’Neill
1870-1871	Joseph Phillips
1871-1872	Harrison Ludington
1872-1873	David G. Hooker
1873-1876	Harrison Ludington
1876	Henry M. Benjamin (Acting)
1876-1878	A. A. R. Butler
1878-1880	John Black
1880-1882	Thomas H. Brown
1882-1884	John M. Stowell
1884-1888	Emil Wallber
1888-1890	Thomas H. Brown
1890	George W. Peck
1890-1893	P. J. Somers
1893	Henry Hase (Acting)
1893-1896	John C. Koch
1896-1898	William G. Rauschenberger
1898-1906	David S. Rose
1906-1908	Sherburn M. Becker
1908-1910	David S. Rose
1910-1912	Emil Seidel
1912-1916	Gerhard A. Bading
1916-1940	Daniel W. Hoan
1940-1942	Carl Zeidler
1942-1948	John L. Bohn
1948-1960	Frank Zeidler
1960-1988	Henry W. Maier
1988-2004	John Norquist
2004	Marvin Pratt (Acting)
2004-2021	Tom Barrett
2021-	Cavalier Johnson

Scope and content notes of each series are provided in the contents list.

The collection is arranged into the following series:

1. Family and Personal Life, 1905-1955
2. Public Life, 1909-1987

The material is in alphabetical order by subject, then chronological within each folder.

Hoan, Daniel Webster, Mayoral Records, 1909-1987, Collection 8. City of Milwaukee Archival Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Archival Collections

• Christmas Tree Commission Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 50.

• Edward S. Kerstein Manuscript. Local History Manuscript Collection 23.

• Mayor’s Youth Committee of 100 Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 11.

• Motion Picture Commission Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 31.

• Socialist Pamphlet Collection. Local History Manuscript Collection 20.

Publications and Other Items

City Government: The Record of the Milwaukee Experiment

The Failure of Regulation

Socialism and the City : How to Remove Chaos and Put Order and Beauty into American Cities

Digital Collections

• Milwaukee Mayors. Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collections.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view City of Milwaukee Archival Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by Hoan’s daughter, Mrs. Walter J. Steininger in 1964. Additional materials were donated in 1996. Materials were initially accessioned as Local History Manuscripts, but transferred to City Archives in 2018.

Processing Information

Reprocessed and guide written by Suzanne Pritzlaff Jagodzinski, 1996. Updated by Arlene Espinoza, Archives Volunteer, 2015. In 2018, Bob Jaeger moved the collection from Local History Manuscripts Collections to City of Milwaukee Archival Collections, numbered it CMAC 8, and added additional materials.

	Series: 1. Family and Personal Life, 1905-1955 Scope and Content Note: This series contains personal and genealogical materials about Hoan and his family such as a baptism record, divorce decree, photographs, autobiographical and biographical information, marriage confirmations, family trees and histories, personal reminiscences, obituaries, and correspondence documenting Hoan’s ancestors and lineage.
Box   10 Folder   3	Degrees, 1905-1907
Box   1 Folder   1	Family - parents and siblings, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Family - wife and children, 1909-1948, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Hoan, Daniel Webster, Family History, maternal side, 1917-1951
Box   1 Folder   4	Hoan, Daniel Webster, Family History, paternal side, circa 1923-1926
Box   1 Folder   5	Hoan (née Townsend), Gladys Arthur, memorial and clippings, 1943-1955
Box   1 Folder   6	Miscellaneous Bills and Receipts, 1909-1949
Box   1 Folder   7	Personal Correspondence, 1943-1953
Box   1 Folder   8	Personal History, family sketch and autobiographical notes, undated
	Series: 2. Public Life, 1909-1987 Scope and Content Note: This series consists of materials on Hoan's public and political life. The bulk of the material consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence during Hoan’s later years as mayor, as well as reports, speeches, and other mayoral business. There are also post-mayoral related items, such as campaign materials, gifts, programs, clippings, and awards and honors. There is a scrapbook at the end of the collection as well. Contents of the scrapbook consist of newspaper clippings, brochures and pamphlets.	⇧
Box   1 Folder   9	Attorney, Workmen’s Compensation Bill, brief, 1909 Note: See also Box 1, Folder 8
	Mayor
Box   1 Folder   10	Book, City Government by Daniel Hoan (1936), promotional card, publisher’s invoice and royalty check, book review by Fiorello La Guardia, and complimentary letter by Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936-1952
Box   1 Folder   11	Budget, 1938-1940
Box   1 Folder   12	Campaign Literature, brochures, campaign mailing, 1918-1939
Box   10 Folder   1	Certificates of Election, including as City Attorney and Board of Harbor Commissioners, 1910-1952
Box   1 Folder   13	City Hall, watercolor painting, photo negatives, and history of City Hall bell, 1923, 1940
Box   1 Folder   14	Cooperative Initiatives, brochures for Consumer Cooperative Association, prospectus of Garden Homes Company and description of its plan, 1920-1922
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   15-16	A, 1930-1940
Box   1 Folder   17	Acknowledgments, 1938-1939
Box   1 Folder   18-19	Advisory Council, 1935-1940
Box   1 Folder   20	Aid, donation and fundraising projects, 1936-1940
Box   2 Folder   1	Air Pollution, 1936-1940
Box   2 Folder   2	American Negro Exposition, 1940
Box   2 Folder   3-4	Appointments, political, 1934-1940
Box   2 Folder   5	Art Institute, 1936-1940
Box   2 Folder   6	Auditorium, 1936-1940
Box   2 Folder   7	Aviation, 1936-1939
Box   2 Folder   8	B, 1934-1939
Box   2 Folder   9	Baby Bonds, 1933-1934
Box   2 Folder   10	C, 1936-1939
Box   2 Folder   11	Cherry St. Bridge, 1926-1939
Box   2 Folder   12-13	City Attorney, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   1	Citizens’ Housing Committee, 1939-1940
Box   3 Folder   2	Christmas Tree, 1938-1940
Box   3 Folder   3	City Engineer, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   4	City Service Commission, 1937-1940
Box   3 Folder   5	City Club, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   6	Civic Celebrations, 1937-1939
Box   3 Folder   7	Commissioner of Public Works, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   8	Comptroller, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   9	Conventions, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   10	D, 1936-1939
Box   3 Folder   11	F, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   12	Filtration, 1933-1940
Box   3 Folder   13	Finances, 1939
Box   3 Folder   14	Fire Department, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   15	Fire and Police Commission, 1936-1939
Box   3 Folder   16	Governors (Philip LaFollette and Julius Heil), 1937-1939
Box   3 Folder   17	G, 1936-1940
Box   3 Folder   18	H, 1934-1940
Box   4 Folder   1	Harbor Commission, 1935-1940
Box   4 Folder   2	Health Department, 1936-1940
Box   4 Folder   3-4	Housing, 1937-1940
Box   4 Folder   5	House of Correction, also includes annual report for a Manhole Frame Surfacing Machine, 1935
Box   4 Folder   6	Information (requests by public), 1937-1939
Box   4 Folder   7	J, 1936-1940
Box   4 Folder   8	K, also includes plans for a Manhole Frame Surfacing Machine, 1936-1938
Box   4 Folder   9	Kline Law and Potential "Made Work" Projects, 1931
Box   4 Folder   10-11	L, 1935-1940
Box   5 Folder   1	M, 1916-1940
Box   5 Folder   2-3	Milwaukee Association of Commerce, 1936-1940
Box   5 Folder   4	Motion Pictures, 1936-1940
Box   5 Folder   5-7	Municipal Heating, 1922-1938
Box   5 Folder   8	N-O, 1936-1940
Box   6 Folder   1	P, 1933-1940
Box   6 Folder   2	Parking Meters, 1938
Box   6 Folder   3	Permits, 1936-1940
Box   6 Folder   4	Police, 1932-1940
Box   6 Folder   5-7	President’s Ball (annual ball initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt to raise money for infantile paralysis), 1936-1940
Box   6 Folder   8	Purchasing, 1934-1940
Box   7 Folder   1	R, 1936-1940
Box   7 Folder   2	Receptions for Charles Lindberg, Stanley Hauser, and Douglas Corrigan, 1927-1938
Box   7 Folder   3-4	Requisitions, 1937-1940
Box   7 Folder   5	S, 1936-1940
Box   7 Folder   6	Safety Commission, 1936-1940
Box   7 Folder   7	Strikes, 1937-1940
Box   7 Folder   8	T-V, 1936-1940
Box   8 Folder   1	W, 1932-1940
Box   8 Folder   2	Water Works, also contains brochure describing the Water Works, 1937-1939
Box   8 Folder   3-5	Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), 1936-1940
Box   8 Folder   6	Educational Information, publications on various topics, 1918-1936
Box   9 Folder   1	Election Ephemera, undated
Box   8 Folder   7	Honorary Degree from the University of Wisconsin, letter of honor and newspaper photograph, 1939
Box   8 Folder   8	Honoree, souvenir programs and testimonial letter, 1935
Box   8 Folder   9	Inaugural Addresses, 1920-1928
Box   8 Folder   10	Initiatives by Others, report about proposed soldiers’ and sailors’ memorial and resolution of declaration of trust by First Civic Foundation of Milwaukee, circa 1919-1923
Box   10 Folder   3	Memberships and Honors, 1927-1939
Oversize Folder   1	Memberships and Honors, oversize, 1931-1935
Box   9 Folder   2	Milwaukee Airport Report, 1925
Box   8 Folder   11	Miscellaneous, includes Time magazine profile and various reports, 1919-1940
Box   8 Folder   12	Passenger ship Milwaukee of Hamburg-American Line, 1929
Box   8 Folder   13	Payroll, ledger for office, 1931
Box   10 Folder   5	Portraits and Caricatures, 1922, undated
Box   8 Folder   14	Proclamation, "Music Week", 1924
Box   8 Folder   15	Report on the Proposed Service-At-Cost Contract Between Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. and City of Milwaukee, 1924
Box   9 Folder   3	Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), miscellaneous projects, 1938
Box   9 Folder   4-5	Newspaper Clippings, 1923-1987
	Post-Mayor
Box   8 Folder   16	Amlie, Thomas, Candidate for State Supreme Court (Hoan was secretary of Amlie’s personal campaign committee), 1949-1950
Box   8 Folder   17	Anniversaries of Milwaukee, 1946-1949
Box   8 Folder   18	Business and Political Correspondence, 1946-1960
Box   10 Folder   2	Campaign for Congress, poster, 1948
Box   8 Folder   19	Campaign for Governor, press release (second page is missing), 1946
Box   8 Folder   20	Campaign for Senate, 1950
Box   9 Folder   6	Commemorative Dinner, 1966
Box   8 Folder   21	Cooperative and Collectivization Advocacy, circa 1942-1944
Box   9 Folder   7	Daniel Webster Hoan Bridge, 1971-1987
Box   9 Folder   8	Death, official memorials, letters of condolence, and clippings, 1961
Box   8 Folder   22	Democratic Organizing Committee, Convention Dinner, speech, 1952
Box   8 Folder   23	Eightieth Birthday Celebration, 1961
Box   11	Fraternal Order of Eagles, Civic Service Award, plaque, 1954
Box   11	Fraternal Order of Eagles, Eagle of the Year Award, plaque, 1958
Box   11	Knife, gift from visit to Buenos Aires, 1953
Box   10 Folder   4	Memberships and Honors, 1943-1961
Oversize Folder   1	Memberships and Honors, oversize, 1953-1959
Box   8 Folder   24	St. Lawrence Seaway Improvements, newsletter, circa 1947
Box   8 Folder   25	Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention, includes tribute to Hoan, 1956
Box   11	Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention, plaque, 1956
Box   9	Scrapbook, 1938-1952, undated Physical Description: 1 volume