Title: Bronson C. La Follette Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1957-1968

Creator:

• La Follette, Bronson C., 1936-

Call Number: Mss 589; PH Mss 589

Quantity: 2.4 cubic feet (6 archives boxes) and 24 photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Bronson C. La Follette, a politician, lawyer, five-term Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin, and candidate for governor in 1968. The collection contains biographical information, personal correspondence, photographs, materials from various political campaigns, papers pertinent to his first two terms as Attorney General (1964-1968), and information regarding his work as a consumer advocate for the federal government.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00589

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Chronology

1936 February 2	Born Washington, D.C. to U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr. and Rachel (Young) La Follette. (Grandson of U.S. Senator Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette.)
1957	Married Lynn Godwin; divorced 1969.
1958	B.A. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1960	L.L.B. University of Wisconsin Law School.
1960	Son Robert M. La Follette IV born.
1960-1962	Private law practice in Madison.
1961	Daughter Deborah C. La Follette born.
1962-1964	Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
1964	Family homestead, Maple Bluff Farm, located near Madison, designated a National Historic Landmark.
1964-1968	Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin (Democrat)--2 terms.
1965	American Specialists Abroad Program, lectured in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
1966-1969	Member of President Lyndon Johnson's Consumer Advisory Council; chairman, 1967-1968.
1967-1968	Co-chairman of Vice-President Hubert Humphrey's Task Force on Consumers.
1968	Democratic candidate for Governor of Wisconsin; lost bid.
1968	Elected to the Board of Directors of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine; reelected 1974.
1969-1974	Private law practice in Madison.
1974 November 25	Took oath of office as Wisconsin's Attorney General, filling the unexpired term of Robert W. Warren. He had been elected Attorney General in the November 5, 1974 election.
1975-1978	Co-chairman U.S. Savings Bond Drive for State Employees.
1976	Honorary Chairman Wisconsin Association for Mental Health Fund Drive.
1978	Chairman Dane County State Employees Combined Campaign.
1978	Reelected to fourth term as Attorney General.
1978	Married Barbara (Wood) Emmons.
1982	Elected to fifth term as Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin.

This collection primarily documents Bronson La Follette's political career during his first two terms as Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin (1964-1968) and his national involvement as a consumer advocate. The materials are divided into eight series. Records within each series are arranged chronologically under subseries headings whenever possible. The first series, BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, contains biographical sketches, including one of his first wife, Lynn Godwin La Follette; newspaper articles; a list of professional positions and affiliations; and letters pertaining to his 1964 resignation as Assistant U.S. Attorney General for the Western District of Wisconsin.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE includes both incoming letters from his mother Rachel, and outgoing letters, most of which are addressed to other family members. Among these are letters to Fola La Follette Middleton, a paternal aunt; his brother Joseph; and a cousin, Robert La Follette Sucher.

The 1964 CAMPAIGN FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL series includes research materials which La Follette used for his speeches; newspaper editorials about George Thompson, his predecessor; and speeches given by other people such as his father, Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr., and former Wisconsin Governor John W. Reynolds. Position papers on such topics as reapportionment, appointive power, and labor management relations as well as copies of his press releases appear in this series.

The fourth series covers La Follette's 1964-1966 TERM AS ATTORNEY GENERAL. Filed here are position papers on topics such as consumer fraud, Wisconsin bail laws, and compensation for victims of crimes; newspaper editorials commenting favorably on his tenure as Attorney General; and newspaper articles discussing La Follette's speeches and departmental activities. Two Lawyer Day Books and press releases complete the series.

Correspondence in La Follette's 1966 CAMPAIGN FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL papers is divided into General Correspondence and memos to or from Dick Wegner, friend, advisor, and member of his campaign staff. Most of the letters in General Correspondence were written to La Follette's political supporters. Some pertain to the arrangement of campaign activities. There is a single exchange of letters between La Follette and Assemblyman Louis J. Ceci, La Follette's Republican opponent, regarding a possible political debate between them. Materials for the campaign brochure, speeches and statements by and about La Follette, and campaign information such as the voting records of the Democratic and Republican primaries for Menominee and Milwaukee counties, the election results from Menominee County, and materials about Ceci's political record complete the series.

The scope of materials in the sixth series, 1966-1968 TERM AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, is similar to that of La Follette's first term in office. Included are press releases; two Lawyer Day Books; a small group of favorable comments; and various speeches on such topics as battered children, consumer education, and Wisconsin Governor Warren Knowles' 1965 Trade Mission. Research materials for this last speech are also included.

Correspondence relative to Bronson La Follette's 1968 CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN is divided into two areas: Campaign Staff and Campaign Activities. The first group consists of memos and letters to and from his campaign committee members, especially Dick Wegner; a copy of the campaign handbook which the county representatives followed; and fundraising objectives and statistics. Campaign activities correspondence consists of letters from La Follette to his supporters; arrangements for testimonial dinners; a list of votes cast in Milwaukee County during the election; and letters pertaining to La Follette's loss in the election. Also found in this series are speeches and position papers on a variety of topics such as consumerism, law enforcement, and Governor Warren Knowles' administration. One folder has a collection of newspaper clippings on state issues with which the campaign was involved, such as taxes, the poor, racism, and the urban crisis.

While Attorney General, La Follette was involved in a wide variety of NATIONAL AFFAIRS. This last series is quite large and has been divided into several subseries. Most of the letters in the Washington, D.C. Correspondence are between La Follette and members of the U.S. Congress, including Wisconsin Representative Robert Kastenmeier and Senators Gaylord Nelson and William Proxmire. This subseries also includes correspondence with Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey. The second sub-series pertains to La Follette's 1965 trip to India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where he lectured for the American Specialist Abroad Program. Included in the folder are correspondence, tourist information, a speech, a press release announcing his appointment, a paper published in the 1966 issue of the Law Quarterly by the India Law Institute, and information regarding the political controversy which resulted from the trip. Issues involved monetary compensation for the trip from non-state sources and the acceptance of outside jobs by a state employee. From 1967-1968 La Follette was a member of the Adlai Stevenson Institute of International Affairs. Most of the information in this subseries is correspondence pertaining to a reception in Madison for William R. Polk, the Director of the Institute. An informational booklet about the Institute is also included.

La Follette worked on Vice-President Humbert Humphrey's Task Force on Consumers from 1967 to 1968. Included are press releases, speeches, consumer statements about problems, and recommendations; a list of Task Force members; and the official Republican and Democratic platforms on consumer affairs. The second folder of this subseries contains correspondence of which one set of letters pertains to Task Force member Reverend R.J. McEwen's request to presidential candidates Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon for their views on consumer issues. Some letters were from the United Democrats for Humphrey headquarters; many have attached position papers. From 1966 to 1969 La Follette served on President Lyndon Johnson's Consumer Advisory Council (CAC). He was chairman for 1967-1968. This subseries contains general information about the CAC such as a summary of activities, 1964-1967; a press release announcing La Follette's appointment; a list of members for 1965 and 1968; undated position papers; and minutes of a January 1967 meeting. Several speeches and memoranda by Betty Furness, Johnson's Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs, are included. Speeches by other individuals such as Federal Trade Commission members Philip Elma and Mary Jones are in the collection. General correspondence as well as information on La Follette's appointment as chairman of the CAC in August 1967 and subsequent correspondence are included.

MISCELLANY includes a 1964 letter about the family homestead becoming a National Historic Landmark, a 1968 letter about La Follette's Board of Directorship of the Consumer Union, and photographs of La Follette and Robert F. Kennedy.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Bronson C. La Follette, Madison, Wisconsin, 1971. Accession Number: M71-280

Processing Information

Processed by Carolyn Mankell and Joanne Hohler, April 1982.

Mss 589 Box   1 Folder   1	Series: Biographical Information
	Series: Personal Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2	Incoming, 1957-1960
Box   1 Folder   3	Outgoing, 1965-1968
	Series: 1964 Campaign for Attorney General	⇧
Box   1 Folder   4	Speech material, 1963-1964
Box   1 Folder   5	Speeches, 1963-1964
Box   1 Folder   6	Position papers, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Press releases, 1964 April-November
	Series: 1964-1966 Term as Attorney General	⇧
Box   1 Folder   8	Position papers, undated
Box   1 Folder   9	Favorable comments, 1965-1966
Box   1 Folder   10	Newspaper clippings, 1965-1966
Box   1 Folder   11	Lawyer Day Books, 1965-1966
	Press releases
Box   2 Folder   1-2	1965
Box   2 Folder   3-4	1966
	Series: 1966 Campaign for Attorney General	⇧
	Correspondence
Box   2 Folder   5	General, 1966
Box   2 Folder   6	Dick Wegner, 1966
Box   2 Folder   7	Brochure, undated
Box   2 Folder   8	Campaign information, 1966
Box   2 Folder   9	Speeches, circa 1966
	Series: 1966-1968 Term as Attorney General	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1	Speeches, 1966-1968
Box   3 Folder   2	Favorable comments, 1967-1968
Box   3 Folder   3	Lawyer Day Books, 1967-1968
	Press releases
Box   3 Folder   4-5	1967
Box   3 Folder   6	1968 January-March
Box   4 Folder   1-3	1968 April-December
	Series: 1968 Campaign for Governor	⇧
	Correspondence
Box   4 Folder   4	Departmental, 1967-1968
Box   4 Folder   5	Campaign, 1967 November-1968 December
Box   4 Folder   6	Speeches and position papers, 1967-1968
Box   4 Folder   7	Newspaper clippings of campaign issues, 1968 April-May
	Series: National Affairs	⇧
	Washington, D.C. correspondence
Box   5 Folder   1	1964 December-1965 December
Box   5 Folder   2	1966
Box   5 Folder   3	1967 January-1968 July
Box   5 Folder   4	Trip to India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), 1965
PH Mss 589	Photographs of La Follette in Calcutta with his family
Mss 589 Box   5 Folder   5	Adlai Stevenson Institute of International Affairs, 1967-1968
	Vice-President's Task Force on Consumers
Box   5 Folder   6	General information, 1968
Box   5 Folder   7	Correspondence, 1968 June-August
	Consumer Advisory Council
Box   6 Folder   1	General information, 1965-1968
Box   6 Folder   2	State level, 1964-1968
	Speeches
Box   6 Folder   3	Betty Furness, 1967-1968
Box   6 Folder   4	Others, 1967-1968
Box   6 Folder   5	Travel information, 1965-1968
Box   6 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1965 June-1967 May
	La Follette Chairmanship
Box   6 Folder   7	Appointment, 1967 August
Box   6 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1967 August-1968
Box   6 Folder   9	Series: Miscellany, 1964-1968	⇧
PH Mss 589	Photographs of La Follette and Robert F. Kennedy