Fred R. Zimmerman
Encyclopedia
Fred R. Zimmerman was a newsboy
, milkman
, traveling salesman
, bookkeeper and Republican
politician
from Milwaukee, who served as a state representative, 25th Governor
of Wisconsin
, and Wisconsin Secretary of State. His son Robert C. Zimmerman
was also Wisconsin Secretary of State from 1957-1975.
Fiesenhauser Zimmerman and grandson of Forty-Eighters
. His father was born in New York
state and came to Milwaukee in 1875. His mother was born in Wisconsin of parents who were natives of Stuttgart
. Zimmerman's father, a molder
, died when he was 5 and at an early age he began contributing to the support of his family by selling newspapers. After completing grammar school, he attended night school
briefly, and held various jobs until he was 22, when he started the Bee Hive Dairy, distributing milk to Milwaukee residents. He left this job, after his marriage, to take a position as a traveling salesman with the Pfister & Vogel Leather
Company, and also worked as a bookkeeper for a Milwaukee lumber
firm.
by six votes in 1908 in a three-way race, receiving 1703 votes on the Republican ticket to 1697 for Democrat
Harry R. McLogan, and 1159 for Socialist
Gilbert H. Poor, to represent the 8th Milwaukee County district (8th and 23d wards
of the City of Milwaukee). He was an active member of the Progressive faction of his party, but served only one term (1909–1910), losing the 1910 election in a four-way contest to Socialist James H. Vint with 1521 votes, to 1501 for Zimmerman, 143 for McLogan, and 12 for Prohibitionist
William H. Trout.
) had moved to the Town of Lake
and served two years on the Town Board. He received the Republican nomination and election as Wisconsin Secretary of State in 1922 (with 77.7% of the vote in a four-way race) and re-election in 1924 in a five-way race, earning a then-record 509,771 votes statewide. During this period he remained closely identified with the Progressive faction of the Republican Party.
of Robert M. La Follette, Sr.), Zimmerman ran in the Republican primary election
as an "independent" against both Progressive (Herman Ekern
) and Stalwart (Charles B. Perry) candidates, as well as another "independent". Zimmerman won the Republican nomination and was elected by an absolute majority, outpolling Stalwart Perry (who came in second, running as an "Independent"), as well as the Democratic, Socialist, Prohibitionist and Socialist Labor
candidates combined, with 350,927 votes out of 552,921. In 1928 he was defeated for re-nomination, running a poor third to Stalwart Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
and Progressive Congressman Joseph D. Beck
.
Thereafter he went into a political decline for several years, briefly holding a position in the Beverage Tax Commission in 1936.
s in 1916, 1920, 1924, 1940, and 1944. He was attacked as a member of America First
, but he denied membership therein, although he generally followed the isolationist position. He died in Milwaukee in 1954 just after again winning re-election as Secretary of State.
Newsboy
-Personal nicknames:* "Newsboy", a horse-racing tipster writing in The Daily Mirror* Jeremy Wells, a television personality-Other uses:* Newsvendor model, a demand forecasting model from operations research,...
, milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
, traveling salesman
Vendor (supply chain)
A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...
, bookkeeper and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
from Milwaukee, who served as a state representative, 25th Governor
Governor of Wisconsin
The Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and Wisconsin Secretary of State. His son Robert C. Zimmerman
Robert C. Zimmerman
Robert C. Zimmerman was Secretary of State of Wisconsin from 1957 until his retirement in 1975....
was also Wisconsin Secretary of State from 1957-1975.
Background and early career
Zimmerman was born in Milwaukee, son of Charles E. Zimmerman and AugustaFiesenhauser Zimmerman and grandson of Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
. His father was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state and came to Milwaukee in 1875. His mother was born in Wisconsin of parents who were natives of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Zimmerman's father, a molder
Molding (process)
Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....
, died when he was 5 and at an early age he began contributing to the support of his family by selling newspapers. After completing grammar school, he attended night school
Night School
Night School is a school that holds classes in the evening or at night, and is usually intended for continuing and adult learning and to accommodate people who work during the day.Night School may also refer to:...
briefly, and held various jobs until he was 22, when he started the Bee Hive Dairy, distributing milk to Milwaukee residents. He left this job, after his marriage, to take a position as a traveling salesman with the Pfister & Vogel Leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
Company, and also worked as a bookkeeper for a Milwaukee lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
firm.
Legislature
Zimmerman was elected to the Wisconsin State AssemblyWisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
by six votes in 1908 in a three-way race, receiving 1703 votes on the Republican ticket to 1697 for Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Harry R. McLogan, and 1159 for Socialist
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
Gilbert H. Poor, to represent the 8th Milwaukee County district (8th and 23d wards
Wards of the United States
In the United States, a ward is an optional division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes...
of the City of Milwaukee). He was an active member of the Progressive faction of his party, but served only one term (1909–1910), losing the 1910 election in a four-way contest to Socialist James H. Vint with 1521 votes, to 1501 for Zimmerman, 143 for McLogan, and 12 for Prohibitionist
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
William H. Trout.
Secretary of State
In 1922, Zimmerman (by then an industrial relations manager for Nash MotorsNash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
) had moved to the Town of Lake
Lake, Wisconsin
Lake is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Wisconsin:*Lake, Marinette County, Wisconsin, a town*Lake, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, a former town*Lake, Price County, Wisconsin, a town...
and served two years on the Town Board. He received the Republican nomination and election as Wisconsin Secretary of State in 1922 (with 77.7% of the vote in a four-way race) and re-election in 1924 in a five-way race, earning a then-record 509,771 votes statewide. During this period he remained closely identified with the Progressive faction of the Republican Party.
Governor
When the Progressives refused to endorse him in the gubernatorial election in 1926 (because of his failure to support the 1924 Presidential candidacyUnited States presidential election, 1924
The United States presidential election of 1924 was won by incumbent President Calvin Coolidge, the Republican candidate.Coolidge was vice-president under Warren G. Harding and became president in 1923 when Harding died in office. Coolidge was given credit for a booming economy at home and no...
of Robert M. La Follette, Sr.), Zimmerman ran in the Republican primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
as an "independent" against both Progressive (Herman Ekern
Herman Ekern
Herman L. Ekern was a Wisconsin politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of Lutheran Brotherhood.-Background:...
) and Stalwart (Charles B. Perry) candidates, as well as another "independent". Zimmerman won the Republican nomination and was elected by an absolute majority, outpolling Stalwart Perry (who came in second, running as an "Independent"), as well as the Democratic, Socialist, Prohibitionist and Socialist Labor
Socialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
candidates combined, with 350,927 votes out of 552,921. In 1928 he was defeated for re-nomination, running a poor third to Stalwart Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter Jodok Kohler, Sr. was an American businessman and politician. He was an innovative and highly successful Wisconsin industrialist. The Kohler Company was founded by his father, John Michael Kohler. Walter Kohler served as the company's president 1905 to 1937...
and Progressive Congressman Joseph D. Beck
Joseph D. Beck
Joseph David Beck was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1921 until 1929.-External links:...
.
Thereafter he went into a political decline for several years, briefly holding a position in the Beverage Tax Commission in 1936.
Secretary of State once more
Zimmerman was nominated and elected Secretary of State on the Republican ticket in 1938 and served until his death, polling a larger vote at each subsequent election and in 1952 again received the highest total ever given any candidate for any office in the state.Private life
Zimmerman was a delegate to the Republican National ConventionRepublican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s in 1916, 1920, 1924, 1940, and 1944. He was attacked as a member of America First
America First
America First may refer to:*America First Committee, a group that opposed entry of the United States into World War II*America First Credit Union, a credit union in Utah*America First Party , an isolationist political party...
, but he denied membership therein, although he generally followed the isolationist position. He died in Milwaukee in 1954 just after again winning re-election as Secretary of State.