Subseries: Ruth Doyle, 1985 January 4
Note: Access online.

INTRODUCTION

BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND
Scope and Content Note: Parents active Democrats. Father had been in the legislature, as was his father and his grandfather. She was always interested in politics.

ANECDOTE ABOUT ATTENDING A SMALL RECEPTION AT THE WHITE HOUSE IN 1940
Scope and Content Note: She and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., shortly after their marriage (in August 1940) She volunteered her services to the Democratic Party National Committee Women's Division. Had a temporary job selling dresses in a department store. Received a call from the White House at work. Was invited to a party for the Democratic National Committee office workers. Only twenty people at the party. In reception line behind a woman who was a polio victim and with whom President Roosevelt talked at length. Eleanor Roosevelt gave a tour of the White House. The whole thing lasted about two hours. “One of the great events of my life.”

REAL ACTIVE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OCCURRED AFTER RETURNING TO MADISON AREA IN 1946
Scope and Content Note: Elected secretary, of the Dane County Democratic Club in spring 1947.

HER FIRST POLITICAL SPEECH
Scope and Content Note: At a large candidates' forum at the University of Wisconsin's Memorial Union. No one wanted to give a speech on behalf of President Truman, his popularity being at low ebb. She volunteered to give the speech and it was extremely well received. She realized later it was not her great speechmaking skill, but the unknown popularity of Truman.

ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE IN 1948
Scope and Content Note: Did not expect to be elected. Very difficult, since she had three pre-school children at the time.

FATHER'S ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATURE AS A DEMOCRAT IN THE 1932 ROOSEVELT LANDSLIDE WAS UNEXPECTED
Scope and Content Note: He only served one term because he was too busy at home. Parents considered themselves Roosevelt Democrats.

SIBLINGS
Scope and Content Note: Two brothers and a sister. One brother slightly active in politics. Sister lives in Boston and is active in local politics.

EARLY INTEREST IN POLITICS
Scope and Content Note: Attended Democratic Conventions with parents when in high school. Spend high school summer vacations in legislative galleries when her father was an assemblyman. “I really was fascinated, always. Up to a certain point.”

HAS NOT BEEN ACTIVE IN PARTISAN POLITICS SINCE HUSBAND (JAMES E. DOYLE) WAS APPOINTED JUDGE

FATHER
Scope and Content Note: A lawyer. Founder and secretary of a building and loan association in Wausau. Was working for Marshall-Isley bank in Milwaukee when she was born. Then was sick for four years; lived in Mayville; mother taught school. Then moved to Wausau when Ruth was about six years old.

YEARS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IN MADISON, 1934-1938
Scope and Content Note: Majored in history. Very involved in campus politics. Both she and her future husband were on the Daily Cardinal Board of Control and active in student politics. First year in college, “I felt absolutely fancy free.... By the second year I began to get serious about things... peace.” In the last semester of her senior year, she was president of the Daily Cardinal Board of Control; and the Board, as its last official action, appointed a Jewish editor. The next day, the newly elected Board of Control fired him. The old Board and the staff struck the Cardinal and published a “strike Cardinal” for six weeks. “It was an enormously important experience, a very concentrated, very concentrated period in which the Silver Shirts appeared on the campus and the Communist Party came in and tried to help out.... A very intensive quarrel.” Finally resolved when the university administration dissolved the old Daily Cardinal and established a new corporation with anew Board of Control. Big election for the new Board of Control, which the liberals lost by twenty-six votes.

BIOGRAPHY AFTER COLLEGE
Scope and Content Note: Graduated from the University in 1938. Entered graduate school at Columbia University in the fall of 1939. Received a masters degree. Taught high school at Lake Mills for a year. Married Jim Doyle in summer of 1940, after he graduated from Columbia Law School. Returned to Wausau with her baby when husband entered the Navy. “Along with all my friends. We were all home for those crucial years. All of us had babies and...we developed a very nice little life over a couple year period there. And then the men started coming home and that ended it. Our little bridge groups had to break up....” Returned to Washington D.C. for a short while after the war. Not particularly politically active at this time.

WISCONSIN POLITICS DURING WORLD WAR II
Scope and Content Note: Some liberal Democratic activity in Dane County and Dan Hoan ran for governor, but she was not involved.

CARL THOMPSON'S GOOD SHOWING IN THE SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION, SPRING 1947, “STIMULATED A LOT OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY”

AMERICAN VETERANS COMMITTEE
Scope and Content Note: Liberal veterans group her husband and most of their Democratic friends were involved in.

DANE COUNTY DOC WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR LIVES, SOCIALLY AND OTHERWISE
Scope and Content Note: Many old college friends became friends in the party once again. Carl Thompson and his wife; Horace Wilkie and his wife. “Madison is a great magnet,” which brought back many people who had been friends in college and who had dispersed during the War.

CHILDREN
Scope and Content Note: Oldest born in 1943, son born in 1945, then a daughter in 1947, and the youngest in 1954.

UNINVOLVED IN THE McCARTHY-LA FOLLETTTE PRIMARY IN 1946
Scope and Content Note: It was a Republican primary and they were in the process of returning to Wisconsin.

CARL THOMPSON'S 1947 CONGRESSIONAL RACE
Scope and Content Note: The Doyles were still in Lake Mills. Interested in the race because of Carl and donated a little money, but not involved; husband was a U.S. attorney and thus under the Hatch Act.

INVOLVEMENT IN DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB, 1947-1948
Scope and Content Note: Big debates over who should become president of the United States. Many meetings at George Card's house.

FIRST STATEWIDE MEETING SHE RECALLS WAS IN MILWAUKEE IN THE MIDST OF THE GREENE-TEHAN FIGHT
Scope and Content Note: National Committeeman had control of postmaster appointments. Greene was seeking to oust Tehan as Committeeman. Main speech was given by Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey, “a exciting thing to happen.” She was unaware of the Greene-Tehan fight until she got to the meeting.

MEETING IN MADISON AT CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL WHICH SOME PEOPLE TRIED TO TURN INTO A STAMPEDE FOR EISENHOWER UNTIL PACKY McPARLAND GAVELLED ADJOURNMENT

END OF TAPE 32, SIDE 1, PART 1

ISSUES AT EARLY DOC MEETINGS
Scope and Content Note: Everyone a New Dealer, an internationalist, in favor of the Brannan Plan, supported the Korean War. Government spending and intervention. She did not pay any attention to internal struggles.

END OF TAPE 32, SIDE 1, PART 2

INTRODUCTION

ORGANIZING LOCAL DOC UNITS
Scope and Content Note: A nucleus in every county. After first DOC convention, Pat Lucey was hired (actually in July 1951) to organize counties. One of his main goals was to get full county tickets. When Ruth went out to help organize, she generally served as the visiting speaker.

EARLY PARTY FINANCES
Scope and Content Note: Postmasters and rural mailcarriers were the main contributors to party coffers. A few fund raisers. Not much money spent. “Shameful” the way money is spent in campaigns today. “The best way to campaign doesn't cost a nickel--the neighborhood meeting or the gatherings of people in small groups that want to talk to you about things.” Hand distributions, small meetings, telephone work. Spent less than one hundred dollars in her assembly campaigns. Usually paid her own expenses when she did party organizing.

SHIFT FROM STATUTORY PARTY TO DOC WAS SMOOTH
Scope and Content Note: Oldtimers like Jerry Fox were helpful and welcoming. No struggle about “who gets the money.” William Carroll and others who opposed the liberalization of the party “rapidly disappeared.” “Generally speaking it was an expansion, not a struggle within the party.” “A very friendly organization.”

RUTH'S CANDIDACY FOR AND ELECTION TO THE ASSEMBLY, 1948
Scope and Content Note: Could not find anyone else to do it. Had made the very successful pro-Truman speech. Figured she could not be elected anyway; “that's the last time I ever entered a race with that thought in mind.” Election victory was stunning. Anecdote about victory party at Park Hotel where Ruth remarked to a friend, “What is my mother going to say?” No polling at that time, although Truman had been to town and was enthusiastically received and also Truman and Carl Thompson had won the straw vote at West High School. She also won the straw vote at West High, but by the narrowest of margins. No one figured these results were all that significant.

SERVICE IN THE ASSEMBLY
Scope and Content Note: Her election required a lot of adjustment. Being in the assembly required a lot of work. No staff; no office space; a pool of secretaries; desks in the chamber only, except for committee chairs. Many demands on her time. On the Education Committee, which was heavily involved at the time with school consolidation, which took up nearly every afternoon during the session. “Strenuous and interesting.” “I decided after two terms it really wasn't the way I wanted to spend my life.” Had a fulltime, live-in housekeeper for a couple years. “Made me feel sort of like a visitor in my own house.... I didn't really go for that.” Then got live-in students. “And my kids survived it all. They've done well.”

RE-ELECTION IN 1950
Scope and Content Note: Did not consider not running. “I figured you owe anything two terms.”

CAMPAIGN FOR STATE TREASURER IN 1952
Scope and Content Note: A lot more travelling. Travelled extensively for about six weeks during the campaign. Travelled with U.S. Senate candidate Tom Fairchild's wife Eleanor. Cordially received in general. Being a woman was not a drawback. One ugly situation in Wisconsin Dells, because of an audience which backed her opponent, who was a very conservative, very pro-McCarthy person. On the way out of the hall, was met by a high school boy who took them to the local Democratic headquarters, where they met a small group of Democrats. The young man turned out to be Jim Wimmer, who was later to become state chair of the Democratic Party. Generally people were very friendly. “I've always found campaigning very congenial; it's more fun than holding office actually.” Ran very well in Dane County.

WHEN SHE WAS IN LEGISLATURE, DEMOCRATS ATTEMPTED TO INTRODUCE THE ENTIRE DOC PLATFORM, EVEN THOUGH THEY CONSTITUTED ONLY ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE ASSEMBLY
Scope and Content Note: “We had a nice little group there.” Pat Lucey, Bill Duffy, Tom Taylor, and other freshmen. Had enough people to force a roll call.

PROUD OF HER WORK ON THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Scope and Content Note: A bi-partisan effort. Committee took a lot of abuse. Proponents of the one-room school would fill the Capitol for the committee's hearings. Received a lot of letters from people accusing her of being the big city person trying to tell the rural people how to run their schools. The program, however, was very successful. Within a year or so many communities were building new schools and were very proud of these new structures. Cut the number of school districts from about 4800 to 400.

PACKY MCPARLAND WAS DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLY FLOOR LEADER WHEN SHE WAS IN THE ASSEMBLY
Scope and Content Note: Mike O'Connell, Eddie Mertz, and other oldtimers were the Democratic legislative leaders. Milwaukee types. Got along well with the new Democrats. Her best friends in the legislature, however, were former progressives, then serving as Republicans, older men, mostly farmers.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENTS IN THE LEGISLATURE, 1948-52
Scope and Content Note: Former Progressives would usually line up with the Republicans on party line matters. “In those days... if you do something that changes peoples way of acting and so on, that is considered political (partisan), but anything that has a purely local interest...that was sincere; they would think you were sincere about your own community, but any broader view that you had, you were just a politician and all that stuff didn't matter.”

RUTH INTRODUCED A BILL TO CLOSE STATE OFFICES ON SATURDAY AND PROVIDE A FORTY HOUR WORK WEEK FOR STATE EMPLOYEES
Scope and Content Note: Previously offices were open until noon on Saturday. Could not get her bill out of committee. Finally it was put on the calendar, but Vernon Thomson “stole the bill word for word.” Had it introduced as a committee bill and it passed by overwhelming margin.

“VERNON THOMSON AND MARK CATLIN, PARTICULARLY, ENGINEERS OF A LOT OF SKULLDUGGERY IN THE LEGISLATURE IN THOSE DAYS”

MORE ON STATE EMPLOYEE WORK WEEK BILL
Scope and Content Note: Actually the change was from a thirty-seven and a half hour week to a forty hour week, but with the closing on Saturday.

HER ASSEMBLY DISTRICT WAS COMPARATIVELY VERY LARGE IN TERMS OF POPULATION
Scope and Content Note: Took in the entire city of Madison. There had not been any reapportionment since 1920.

RUTH'S CAMPAIGN FOR ASSEMBLY IN 1960
Scope and Content Note: District now was just the west side of Madison. Presidential candidate John Kennedy did not carry the west side in 1960. The Irish Catholic thing. She lost. Used to get many votes from the east side.

1952 CAMPAIGN FOR STATE TREASURER
Scope and Content Note: No one anxious to run for the lesser statewide offices at that time. “I wanted the experience of the campaign, I think.” Defeat did not bother her. Does not recall why she chose state treasurer rather than secretary of state or some other officer.

END OF TAPE 32, SIDE 2, PART 1

THE STATE TREASURERSHIP
Scope and Content Note: Warren Smith, who ran for the office as a Republican in 1948, made a remark about how one could become rich in that office because of its revenue collecting functions. Right after his election, the legislature stripped the office of most of its functions.

ROLE OF WOMEN IN DOC
Scope and Content Note: Men held all the important positions. “Just the way things were.” She wrote an article for the Wisconsin Democrat on women in politics. In the article, pointed out how the Republicans had prevented a woman's candidacy and how she felt the Democrats would never be guilty of such a thing. On the other hand, she recalls a meeting up north where only three of the sixty people in attendance were women. When she pointed this out to a man after the meeting, he responded that the men did not know they could bring their wives. One of the reasons DOC was so successful in Dane County was that many “women volunteered their services and actually performed them. I think men often take these jobs and then don't do the job.” Dane County Democrats always had women on the board; state party always had women on the Administrative Committee. Women were shy about being candidates, however.

END OF TAPE 32, SIDE 2, PART 2

INTRODUCTION

DOC'S WOMEN'S ISSUES COMMITTEE
Scope and Content Note: Presumes its purpose was to get women active. She was never involved with it. She was too busy for much party involvement after she was elected.

WOMEN LEADERS IN DOC
Scope and Content Note: Julia Boegholt “felt that she was short changed.” Marge Benson “was much more of a team player:” Gladys Hoan was “very capable.” “Their row was harder to hoe in Milwaukee than it was here.” In Milwaukee a good deal of party planning took place at Wendelin Kraft's tavern and other places where women did not hang out. Helen Marty got along well with the men.

SERVED ON COUNTY BOARD, 1953-1960
Scope and Content Note: There were eighty-four members of the county board at the time and she was the only woman. “I was secretary of everything: You know, the woman that goes to the meeting, tends to be the secretary. And as a result of being a secretary and doing a good job of being a secretary, I got to be a very knowledgeable supervisor. In fact there was no recognition that I was even a woman on the county board.” Had her last baby in 1954 and never missed a meeting. Some members of the board did not even know she had the baby. “I'd been donating to the flower fund. Nobody sent me any flowers while I was in the hospital.”

SERVED ON SCHOOL BOARD, 1963-1972
Scope and Content Note: Only woman. Traditionally had been only one woman on the school board. Major change today where most school board members are women.

IN MADISON “WOMEN HAVE REALLY TAKEN OVER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THEY'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB”

MORE ON THE COUNTY BOARD
Scope and Content Note: For several years while she was on the county board, she was also teaching high school in Oregon. She would get “terribly tired” because the meetings went on so far into the night.

HUSBAND'S CANDIDACY FOR GOVERNOR IN 1954 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Scope and Content Note: It seemed “do-able.” Everyone underestimated Bill Proxmire's strength. Jim did not enjoy campaigning. Probably a good thing he was not elected. Later ran for circuit judge and lost. “The job he's had for the last twenty years (judge) is the one he's really suited for, and I think he's really enjoyed that.”

MANAGING SUCH A BUSY LIFE
Scope and Content Note: In 1954 her husband had just finished chairing the DOC, was serving as co-chair of the Americans for Democratic Action, and ran for Governor. She was teaching high school, serving on the county board, and having her fourth child. “I wonder. Every day I wake up and I wonder. Now I see my own daughters going through this same sort of thing, and I scold them, my youngest daughter particularly.” Youngest daughter is a professor and a law school dean in Arizona and was just elected to a board there; in addition she's writing a book. “I'm fussying at her, occasionally. I've given it up now. She says, 'it sounds just exactly the same words that grandma used to use on you.'” Good health, especially amongst the children, was an important reason why they could lead such busy lives. The children were “cooperative. And they kind of enjoyed politics.” “The other thing was that my husband and I were co-partners. He was a very much of a father. And we spelled each other off.” “Somehow, I don't know how, when they needed us, we were there.” Good live-in student helpers.

PHIL LA FOLLETTE, 1950s-1960s
Scope and Content Note: Law partner of her husband. He was quite conservative by that time, “but a fascinating, interesting man.” Politics did not come up often at social gatherings.

THE SUCCESS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN WISCONSIN
Scope and Content Note: “The Democrats were never as down and out as they appeared.” Her uncle, Dr. W.C. Sullivan, ran for governor in 1942 and made a respectable showing without conducting any campaign whatsoever. Dan Hoan came very close, with hardly any organization behind him. The national party provided a solid base of Democratic votes. Filling local tickets added many more votes.

MAINTAINING THE ENTHUSIASM, 1948-1958
Scope and Content Note: For the Doyles it was very enjoyable; a major part of their social life. In 1952, Adali Stevenson's presence was a big help. James Byrnes predicted to Jim Doyle before the Doyles returned to Wisconsin that Democratic politics in Wisconsin would be frustrating, with the vote hovering in the 40-50 percent range, but no victories. “Just exactly the way it happened.” Hubert Humphrey once suggested that Jim get a government post in Washington, D.C., but both Doyles had an immediate negative reaction.

FACTIONALISM IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Scope and Content Note: It was serious. “I think there was a great deal of resentment of the wise guys from Dane County upstate, but more particularly in Milwaukee. And we all kind of resented them because they didn't raise enough money in Milwaukee to run their own headquarters.” Things have improved a good deal in recent years. On the other hand, there is not much of a central organization left. Party seems segmented into constituencies of various successful candidates. “That has sort of changed the whole look of the party.”

END OF TAPE 33, SIDE 1

INTRODUCTION

UNIMPORTANCE OF PARTY PLATFORMS TODAY
Scope and Content Note: People rally around candidates rather than the party--Kastenmeier people, etc. National Republican Party platform in 1984, “apparently no candidate could run on it.” In Wisconsin the candidates for Congress, senate, and governor “become very important as persons and the major fundraising organization sort of disappears.”

1985 WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY COMPARED TO RUTH'S EXPECTATIONS IN 1948
Scope and Content Note: Has “great admiration for a number of the legislative leaders. I think our Dane County women have been great legislators. I would say it's probably done quite well.” It has remained liberal. Leaders are liberal and intelligent. Legislators, however, do no better than they did when she was in the legislature without staff and only paid one hundred dollars a month. Concerned about the ambitious young people on legislative staffs. Also, because of the pay and the abundant staff, legislators do not have to establish priorities and “there's no need to eliminate the nuttiest ideas from among the things that get proposed. Everything gets a full-scale treatment. But, on the whole, I think, it probably works pretty well.”

MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN REBUILDING WISCONSIN'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Scope and Content Note: The traditional list Gaylord Nelson, Carl Thompson, Jim Doyle, Horace Wilkie, Pat Lucey particularly, Eddie Mesheski, Elliot Walstead, Henry Reuss.

END OF INTERVIEW