The Socialist Party of Wisconsin and its local Milwaukee chapter trace their history
to the 1897 formation of Milwaukee's Social Democratic Party. This party, a
collaboration between socialists and labor advocates, put several candidates on
state and local ballots. In 1901, socialists from around the country convened in
Indianapolis and established the Socialist Party of America. The Socialist Party
USA, with which the Socialist Parties of Wisconsin and Milwaukee were affiliated
until the 2000s, was reconstituted in Milwaukee in 1973 and considered itself the
direct descendant of the 1901 party.
Under the banners of Social Democracy and the Socialist Party of America, Wisconsin
socialists achieved major electoral victories and Wisconsin quickly became an
important socialist stronghold. In 1910, the Wisconsin Socialist Party gained its
first substantial electoral victories. Milwaukee's Victor Berger became the first
Socialist elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and Milwaukee's Emil Seidel
was elected the first Socialist mayor in the country. Although Seidel served only
one term, socialists Dan Hoan (in office 1916-1940) and Frank Zeidler (in office
1948-1960) subsequently served long tenures as Milwaukee mayor. Thanks to their
public works efforts and responsible governing practices, Milwaukee's socialists
became known as "sewer socialists."
Although Zeidler was the city's last Socialist mayor, the Socialist Party of
Milwaukee and Wisconsin were instrumental in the formation of the Socialist Party
USA. Zeidler was the party's first national chairman, serving until 1984. The
Milwaukee Socialist Party offices housed the national party offices until the late
1980s. In 1976, Zeidler was the Party's presidential nominee. The party fielded many
local and national candidates, including presidential candidates in most election
cycles. In celebration of its local chapter's centenary, Milwaukee hosted the
National Convention of the Socialist Party USA in 1997.
Relations were not always easy between the Wisconsin and National Party leadership.
The national party maintained that all members of the Socialist Party of Wisconsin
and its local chapters should be registered members of the Socialist Party USA The
Wisconsin chapters disagreed with this mandate and did not require their members to
maintain Socialist Party USA memberships. In the 2000s, the Socialist Party of
Wisconsin and, by extension, its Milwaukee chapter were dechartered by the Socialist
Party USA. The Milwaukee local, renamed the Socialist Party of Wisconsin in 2016,
operates independently of the Socialist Party USA and is not affiliated with any
national party.
