Summary Information
John K. Kyle Papers
1925-1964
Mss 212
0.6 c.f. (2 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of John K. Kyle, a prominent Wisconsin attorney, Progressive Party leader, member of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges, and executive secretary of the Wisconsin Association of Cooperatives. Most of the collection consists of correspondence and records stemming from Kyle's role as campaign manager for Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., in his unsuccessful reelection attempt against Joseph McCarthy in the 1946 Republican primary election. Another group of letters originates from Kyle's presidency of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges in 1962 and concerns a controversy over the proposed location of a new University of Wisconsin Extension Center in Wood County. Also included are clippings and pamphlets on various Wisconsin political figures from the 1920s to the 1960s, and scattered correspondence concerning Kyle's public activities in the 1930s and early 1940s.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00212 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
John K. Kyle was born in the Town of Lima in Rock County, Wisconsin, the son of William and Jeanie (Burnside) Kyle. He attended Whitewater Normal School and received a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1928. During his college years Kyle also held part-time jobs as legislative reporter for the Madison Capital Times and as clerk in the state Senate, and served as president of the Madison chapter of the Young Men's Progressive Association and secretary of the state Association. From these party roots, Kyle became mananger of Robert M. La Follette, Jr.'s Senate campaign in 1928 and of Philip F. La Follette's gubernatorial race in 1930.
Kyle married Doris Bailey on December 24, 1931, and held a variety of government positions through the 1930s. From 1932 to 1936, he was an administrative assistant to Senator F. Ryan Duffy and United States Representatives Thomas Amlie and George Schneider. For two years Kyle was a planning counsel to Governor Philip La Follette and the Legislative Committee on State Government Reorganization. In 1938, he assumed the position of executive secretary of the Wisconsin Labor Relations Board, a post he resigned in 1939. He then became state chairman of the Progressive Party Central Committee for two years. Having been admitted to the bar in 1935, Kyle utilized his legal knowledge as city attorney of Whitewater from 1940 to 1946. In 1943 he became the public panel chairman and arbitrator for the National War Labor Board.
Kyle ran for Congress on the Progressive Party ticket in the 1st District in 1944, but was defeated. He then became president of the Walworth County Bar Association, and in 1946 he managed Robert M. La Follette, Jr.'s unsuccessful primary campaign for reelection against Joseph R. McCarthy. From 1948 to 1961, Kyle served as executive secretary of the Wisconsin Association of Cooperatives (WAC) and editor of the WAC monthly bulletin. He also served for several years on the Board of Directors of the Cooperative League of the United States, the Group Health Association of America, Co-op Auditing Services, the Co-op Services of Dane County, and as a United States delegate to four biennial congresses of the International Cooperative Alliance.
In 1960, Kyle was appointed to a five-year term on the Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges; he served as its president in 1961-1962 and as the representative to the Coordinating Committee for Higher Education. Kyle was also named to a six-year term as director of the Wisconsin Department of Securities, and he served as secretary of the North American Securities Administrators, the editor of Blue Sky News (monthly publication of the organization), and chairman of the Midwest Securities Administrators. Kyle retired from public service in 1967 and moved to Florida, where he has lived since his retirement.
| 1903 |
John K. Kyle born in Town of Lima, Rock County, Wisconsin, son of William and Jeanie (Burnside) Kyle
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| 1920-1922 |
Attended Whitewater Normal School
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| 1924-1928 |
Attended University of Wisconsin; received A.B. degree in economics; held parttime positions as legislative reporter for the Capital Times (Madison) and as clerk in State Senate; served as president and as state secretary, Madison Chapter, Young Men's Progressive Association
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| 1928 |
Manager, senatorial campaign of Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
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| 1930 |
Manager, gubernatorial campaign of Philip La Follette
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| 1931 Dec. 24 |
Married Doris Bailey
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| 1932-1936 |
Administrative Assistant to Wisconsin Senator F. Ryan Duffy and to United States Representatives Thomas Amlie and George Schneider
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| 1935 |
Admitted to Wisconsin Bar by examination
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| 1936-1937 |
Planning Counsel to Governor Philip La Follette; Counsel to Legislative Committee on State Government Reorganization
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| 1938-1939 |
Executive Secretary, Wisconsin Labor Relations Board
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| 1939-1940 |
Wisconsin State Chairman, Progressive Party Central Committee
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| 1940-1946 |
City Attorney of Whitewater (part-time)
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| 1943-1946 |
Public Panel Chairman and Arbitrator, National War Labor Board (part-time)
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| 1944 |
Progressive Patty nominee for Congress, 1st District of Wisconsin
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| 1945 |
President, Walworth County Bar Association
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| 1946 |
Manager, reelection primary campaign of Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
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| 1948-1961 |
Executive Secretary, Wisconsin Association of Cooperatives (WAC) and editor of WAC monthly bulletin; served for several years on the boards of directors of the following organizations: Cooperative League of the United States, Group Health Association of America, Co-op Auditing Services, Co-op Services of Dane County; also served as delegate from the United States to four biennial congresses of the International Cooperative Alliance
|
| 1960-1965 |
Appointed to five-year term on the Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges; served as representative of the Board of Regents to the Coordinating Committee for Higher Education
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| 1961-1962 |
President, Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges
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| 1961-1967 |
Appointed to six-year term as Director of Wisconsin Department of Securities
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| 1966-1967 |
Secretary, North American Securities Administrators; Editor of Blue Sky News, monthly publication of North American Securities Administrators; Chairman, Midwest Securities Administrators
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| 1967- |
Retired; living in Florida
|
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists primarily of material documenting Kyle's role as campaign manager for Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., in the 1946 Wisconsin Republican primary, with only fragmentary files for other periods. The papers are divided into three series: Correspondence and Political Literature, 1925-1964; the Senator Robert La Follette, Jr., Primary Campaign of 1946; and Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges.
The CORRESPONDENCE AND POLITICAL LITERATURE files, 1925-1964, contain letters, assorted clippings, flyers, and pamphlets on political figures of the period. Notable among the political literature is the special memorial edition of La Follette's Magazine of July 1925, commemorating Robert M. La Follette, Sr. following his death on June 18, 1925. Of special interest among the correspondence are Kyle's letter of resignation to the Wisconsin Labor Relations Board on March 7, 1939; a copy of a letter (original in vault) from Franklin D. Roosevelt of October 4, 1940 expressing appreciation for the support of the Wisconsin Progressive Party; campaign pamphlets from 1964; and a June 1, 1964 letter to Kyle concerning the John F. Kennedy memorial stamp.
Material in the SENATOR ROBERT LA FOLLETTE, JR., PRIMARY CAMPAIGN OF 1946 series includes both Correspondence and Records. The majority of the Correspondence category consists of letters, organized by county and chronologically therein, between La Follette re-election managers and county campaign coordinators. Some files also contain lists of La Follette supporters and newspaper clippings indicating candidates for county offices. Remaining correspondence files contain the letters of Robert La Follette, Jr., with campaign directors and supporters; contacts between the campaign and state and national labor organizations, especially the railroad brotherhoods; and a file of correspondence between Kyle and Richard Lund, a field organizer in western Wisconsin, which also contains some campaign organizational documents.
Records pertaining to the 1946 primary election include publications and newspaper clippings giving the election statistics of prior elections and the voting records of La Follette and other Wisconsin congressmen from 1942 to 1944. Lists in the Records files note, by county, campaign officials; nomination circulators; potential supporters of La Follette; and delegates and alternates to the March Progressive Party Conference. Also included are campaign literature and press clippings outlining La Follette positions regarding special interest groups, especially labor and agriculture, letters sent to Wisconsin newspapers concerning a political advertisement, and newspaper election statistics on the 1946 primary election. Missing are financial records for the 1946 campaign.
The BOARD OF REGENTS OF WISCONSIN SATE COLLEGES correspondence pertains to a specific incident in 1962 during Kyle's term as president, the controversy over the proposed location of a new University of Wisconsin Extension Center in Wood County. Most letters reflect opinions and reactions of parents and community leaders in Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids to this issue.
Related Material
Related materials at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin include Tape 582A, a series of recorded interviews with Kyle chronicling his career. Subjects discussed are his early background, Progressive party activity, work with the La Follettes, Senator F. Ryan Duffy, Representative Thomas Amlie, his term as executive secretary of the Wisconsin Labor Relations Board, the 1946 Senate primary election, and his tenure as executive secretary of the Wisconsin Association of Cooperatives, 1948-1962. Abstracts of the tapes are also available.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by John K. Kyle, Madison, Wisconsin, 1967-1979. Accession Number: M67-236, M69-308, M69-331, M69-385, M79-51
Processed by Philip C. Bantin, 1976, Robert Burk, and Joanne Hohler, 1979.
Contents List
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Series: Correspondence and Political Literature, 1925-1964
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|
|
Series: Senator Robert La Follette, Jr., Primary Campaign of 1946
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Correspondence
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County, 1946 April-August
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Manitowoc-Monroe
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Oconto-Rusk
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Box
1
Folder
4
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St. Croix-Trempealeau
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|
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Vernon-Wood
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Box
1
Folder
6
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La Follette, 1946 March-July
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Labor, Railroad Brotherhoods and Miscellaneous Letters, 1946 May-August
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Lund and Organizational Papers, 1946 April-October
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Records
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Census and Election Statistics, 1940-1944
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Congressional Voting Records, 1942-1944
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Officers of County Organizations, 1940-1946
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Box
2
Folder
1
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List of Circulators, 1946
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Box
2
Folder
2
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List of Potential Supporters, 1946
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Progressive Conference, Portage, March 7, 1946
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Campaign Literature File, 1944-1946
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Series: Board of Regents of Wisconsin State Colleges, Correspondence, 1962 June-December
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