Frank Paul Zeidler was born September 12, 1912 in Milwaukee, the youngest son of
Michael and Clara Zeidler. A 1929 graduate of West Division High School, he attended
the University of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago, and Marquette University. He
also took many courses through the University of Wisconsin-Extension. He received an
honorary doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in 1958. Zeidler married Agnes
Reinke on June 30, 1939. They had six children: Clara, Dorothy, Michael, Anita,
Mary, and Jeannette.
Zeidler worked as a surveyor and topographical engineer from 1931 to 1943. He served
from 1938 to 1940 as County Surveyor, an elected position. From 1943 to 1948 he was
a surveyor for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.
Zeidler won election to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in 1941, serving in
that post until 1948. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer on the Progressive
ticket in 1940 and, as a Socialist, for governor in 1942, mayor of Milwaukee in
1944, and Congress in 1946. Mayor John Bohn chose not to seek re-election in 1948
and Frank entered the primary. He won the primary and then defeated Henry Reuss in
the general election. Serving three terms, Zeidler preferred not to face the rigors
of another campaign and retired in 1960.
Important issues in Milwaukee during Zeidler's administration included urban
expansion, urban renewal, blight elimination, public housing, and civil defense. The
city expanded greatly through a vigorous annexation program until the Oak Creek Law
of 1955 effectively blocked further expansion, which allowed the creation of fourth
class cities in thinly populated areas. Public housing projects were built and slum
clearance pursued. Milwaukee's civil defense plans were among the most innovative
and elaborate in the country.
Mayor Zeidler's chief assistants were Folk Peterson and Stanley Budny. Raymond
Sheehan, Arthur Saltzstein, Albert Davis, and Joseph Dries also worked in the
Mayor's Office, while Catherine Burgette handled the business aspects of the
office.
Mayor Zeidler was active in the American Municipal Association, the National
Conference of Mayors, and the United Nations Association. He lectured throughout the
United States and Canada on issues affecting the cities in general and Milwaukee in
particular.
Zeidler pursued many interests after his retirement from office. He wrote extensively
for the American Institute of Municipal Research, Education, and Training, Inc., a
subsidiary of the American Municipal Association. He worked with the Ford Foundation
reviewing grant applications in urban affairs. Zeidler was appointed Director of
Resource Development for Wisconsin in 1963 by Governor John W. Reynolds, serving in
that position for two years. Beginning in 1967, Zeidler was a labor arbitrator, or
"umpire" as he preferred, in Milwaukee County and elsewhere in the state.
Zeidler joined the Socialist party in 1932 and continued his active membership for
decades. He became secretary of the Milwaukee County Socialist Party in 1937 and
continued to serve the Socialist Party in various state positions. The Socialist
Party merged with the Progressives in 1935, forming the Progressive Party
Federation. The Federation broke up in 1941 and the Socialist Party declined greatly
during the period of the merger. Zeidler's campaign for governor in 1942 marked the
Party's return to statewide races. The 11,000 votes he received were only about one
fourth what the Socialist candidate had earned in 1934, the party's last race before
the merger.
Zeidler's election as mayor in 1948 was as much in spite of as because of his
Socialist membership. Although the Socialists had a reputation for good government
in Milwaukee, post-World War II anti-communism linked Socialism with its Soviet
cousin in the popular mind.
The Socialist Party dropped out of national electoral politics after Darlington
Hoopes' presidential campaign in 1956. Large segments of the Party adopted a policy
of "boring within" the Democratic Party, during the 1960s. The Debs caucus opposed
this trend and, in 1973, at a meeting in Milwaukee's Turner Hall, attempted to
revive the Party. National headquarters moved to Milwaukee following this meeting.
Zeidler began to play a more central role in the Party at this time.
The Socialists returned to national political activity with Frank Zeidler's
nomination for President in 1975. Faced with varied election laws, scant finances,
and lack of press coverage curtailed his chances. Zeidler garnered about 8,000 votes
and modest publicity. The Party headquarters was destroyed by fire in December 1975.
Most of the records were lost and the remainder damaged, further hampering the
effort. But Zeidler continued his political and educational roles. He spoke, wrote,
and issued press releases on major current events until the time of his death in
2006.
