Subseries: Floyd Wheeler, 1983 June 1
Note: Access online.

INTRODUCTION

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Scope and Content Note: Born in Beloit. Active in high school debating, YMCA. Graduated high school in 1922. Already a La Follette admirer. Had heard both Bob La Follettes speak. Parents were Republicans. Attended Beloit College.

TOM AMLIE IN BELOIT
Scope and Content Note: Very active in Non-Partisan League in Minnesota and North Dakota. Came to Beloit to join law firm. Belonged to YMCA where Wheeler worked. Amlie became Wheeler's mentor. (Anecdote about Glenn Frank and Amlie.) Amlie active in Beloit American Legion. Amlie moved to Elkhorn when Wheeler graduated from college.

1931 SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION
Scope and Content Note: Democrats conservative and weak before Roosevelt's election. Henry Allen Cooper died while in office. Amlie was Progressive Republican candidate in primary. Two conservatives split conservative vote, Amlie nominated, tantamount to election in strong Republican county. Wheeler graduated from law school in 1931.

FLOYD WHEELER 1931-1934
Scope and Content Note: Offered and refused a job in the attorney general's office. Practiced law 1931-1934. Not involved in 1931 Amlie campaign.

1932 ELECTION
Scope and Content Note: Wheeler active in Amlie's campaign. Amlie lost and practiced law in Elkhorn.

THE THIRD PARTY
Scope and Content Note: Amlie was prime motivating force for a third party in Wisconsin. Bob La Follette reluctantly supported idea. Phil La Follette supported formation of third party. Anecdote about Glenn Frank and Amlie.

CONFLICT BETWEEN AMLIE AND PHIL LA FOLLETTE
Scope and Content Note: Two were close until (1938) when Amlie ran agianst Herman Ekern, a Progressive and attorney general. Both of the La Follettes supported Ekern. Ekern won primary and lost election.

AMLIE'S PARTY AFFILIATION
Scope and Content Note: Dan Hoan influenced Amlie by joining Democrats. Amlie never supported Phil La Follette's attempt to form a national third party.

AMLIE/EKERN PRIMARY RACE
Scope and Content Note: Helen Wheeler active in Amlie campaign.

AMLIE AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Scope and Content Note: Ran as Democrat in 1938 (Wheeler unsure) Active with Dan Hoan in early 1940s. Wheeler still in touch with Amlie when he moved from Washington to Madison, but not much after his loss of Senate race. Amlie not very successful lawyer in Madison. Helped draft platform planks for Democrats, had following among “new” Democrats, e.g. Carl Thmopson. Embittered that the La Follettes abandoned him.

END OF TAPE 19, SIDE 1

INTRODUCTION

AMLIE'S LATER YEARS
Scope and Content Note: Thought that younger people in Democratic Party did not appreciate him. Was sick at the end of his life.

WHEELER'S VIEW OF AMLIE
Scope and Content Note: Was honest, intelligent, had “unique and thoughtful approach to social problems.” Amlie's ideas often lacked supporters because they were ahead of their time.

HELENE WHEELER
Scope and Content Note: Second or third Chairman of Democratic Club. Vice Chairman when Horace Wilkie was Chairman. Active in Stevenson's 1952 campaign.

AMLIE'S CANDIDACY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
Scope and Content Note: Wheelers urged Dick Barber to run at the 1946 or 1948 convention in Eau Claire. Then Amlie announced candidacy--this put the Wheelers in a delicate situation. Amlie might have been embittered when Barber won.

AMLIE AND COMMUNISM
Scope and Content Note: Was left of most Democrats but not a Communist. 1932 Wisconsin legislature passed resolution declaring opposition to Roosevelt's appointment of Amlie to Interstate Commerce Commission because of Amlie's supposed Communist affiliation.

AMLIE'S PERSONALITY
Scope and Content Note: Shy, retiring, good sense of humor. Humerous anecdote about Amlie and doctor in Beloit.

AMLIE'S FAMILY
Scope and Content Note: First son died of tuberculosis. Gehrta took charge of family in Elkhorn.

AMLIE AS LAWYER IN ELKHORN
Scope and Content Note: Worked in law firm with conservative Republicans. Anecdote about Amlie's novel method of handling adultery case.

AMLIE'S POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT AFTER 1945
Scope and Content Note: Active in Democratic Club. Influenced both Wheelers.

WHEELERS' POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Scope and Content Note: Both active in Phil La Follette's 1931 campaign. Disturbed by La Follette's Stock Pavillion speech. Helene was office manager for Bill Rice's congressional campaign, and for Carl Thompson's congressional and both gubernatorial campaigns. Helene but not Floyd active in Dane County Democratic Club.

FLOYD WHEELER'S INVOLVEMENT WITH COOPERATIVES
Scope and Content Note: First involved in 1936. Studied at Harvard for a year. Returned to Wisconsin, worked on unemployment compensation program for three months. Appointed assistant council of the Public Service Commission. Worked in Rural Electrification Coordination Office, 1936. Has represented coops on a private basis since then.

1952 CAMPAIGNS
Scope and Content Note: Ruth Doyle and others urged Wheeler to run for Assembly seat she was vacating. Ran against Ted Boyle and was elected. Carl Thompson won eastern district of Dane County, Erv Bruner won western district. Thompson was hospitalized for much of first session.

END OF TAPE 19, SIDE 2

INTRODUCTION

RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM
Scope and Content Note: Loomis was first coordinator. Conservatives also strongly supported program. Rural Electrification Administration was theoretically bipartisan, but dominated by Progressives.

WISCONSIN DEVELOPMENT ACT
Scope and Content Note: Phil La Follette was very active proponent of Act and got it passed but Supreme Court narrowed its scope.

ROLE OF COOPS IN FORMATION OF NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Scope and Content Note: Coop leadership assisted Hoan. Earl Stoneman, active in agricultural coops, ran for Secretary of State and lost.

OSCAR (RENNEBOHM) LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Scope and Content Note: Anecdote about incidence of his foolish behavior in the legislature.

THE COOP'S POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT
Scope and Content Note: State law prohibited coops from campaigning but leaders were largely Progressives and, later, Democrats who aired their views. After Loomis died, the coops supported the Democrats. Discussion of Loomis' role in coops.

HUBERT HUMPHREY AND THE COOPS
Scope and Content Note: Gave long speeches at Eau Claire convention about what Democrats had done in the Rural Electrification program. Became a leader of coops. Had long supported coops. Anecdote about Wheeler meeting Humphrey.

ERICH LENZ
Scope and Content Note: Wheeler knew him well. First met him when he was secretary of the Wisconsin Association of Coops. The rural coops were in the forefront of liberal causes.

WHEELER'S 1952 ELECTION
Scope and Content Note: Represented tenth district. Later defeated by Metzner; this concluded Wheeler's involvement in electoral politics. Discussion of Metzner.

FRANK ANTOINE
Scope and Content Note: Wheeler knew him when he (Wheeler) did work for Crawford Electric and the Tri-State Power Cooperative. Antoine probably an active Democrat.

END OF INTERVIEW