- Doug La Follette
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Doug La Follette Secretary of State of Wisconsin Incumbent Assumed office
January 3, 1983Preceded by Vel Phillips In office
January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1979Preceded by Robert Zimmerman Personal details Born June 6, 1940
Des Moines, IowaPolitical party Democratic Residence Madison, Wisconsin Alma mater Marietta College (B.A.)
Stanford University (M.S.)
Columbia University (Ph.D.)
University of Freiburg (International research associate)
University of Wisconsin (Research associate)Occupation Professor, researcher, environmentalist, politician Douglas J. "Doug" La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental activist, and politician from the state of Wisconsin. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin.[1]
Contents
Early life and career
La Follette was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marietta College, his Master of Science in chemistry from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University. He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha.
Known as an environmentalist before running for public office, he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.
His great-grandfather and "Fighting Bob" La Follette's father were brothers.[2]
Political career
La Follette first ran for office in the 1970 U.S. House of Representatives election, losing to Les Aspin in the Democratic primary for the Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. La Follette served in the Wisconsin State Senate for Kenosha for one term.
La Follette was elected Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1974. He unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin on a ticket with Governor Martin Schreiber in 1978. In 1982, he was again elected state Secretary of State, defeating incumbent Vel Phillips. La Follette has been the Secretary of State ever since.
He has run unopposed several times for Secretary of State and shuns fundraising in the style of former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire. In 1990, his opponent, Madison attorney and radio personality Stuart Levitan, campaigned on a promise to eliminate the Secretary of State's office, whose duties have been reduced and transferred to other agencies, including the State Board of Elections, under La Follette's tenure.
Since being elected Secretary of State, La Follette has run twice for federal office. In 1988, he ran for U.S. Senate, losing the primary to Herb Kohl. In 1996, he made another bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district to Lydia Spottswood, who went on to lose the general election to Mark Neumann.
Other roles
- La Follette is the author of the 1991 book The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth.
- He has also served on the board of directors of Friends of the Earth and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
- In 2003 he ran for, and was elected to, the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three-year term. He did not seek reelection in 2006.
- He was a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003.
Electoral history
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[3]
- Doug La Follette (D), 72%
- Scot Ross (D), 28%
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[4]
- Doug La Follette (D), 57%
- Sandy Sullivan (R), 38%
- Michael LaForest (Green), 4.5%
2010 election
On November 2, 2010, La Follette won re-election over challenger David King, a Milwaukee Republican, 52% to 48%.[5]
Notes
- ^ "La Follette, Douglas J". Wisconsinhistory.org. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2122&keyword=la+follette. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ La Follette weathers Republican tsunami, Journal Sentinel Dec. 11, 2010
- ^ "Lautenschlager, Ross & Feingold Favored in WisPolitics Dem Convo Straw Poll". WisPolitics.com. 2006-10-06. http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=64241. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/106590163.html
External links
- Wispolitics.com article on the convention straw poll.
- Clean Wisconsin
- Office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State
- An article by Doug La Follette on Earth Day and the legacy of Sen. Gaylord Nelson
Political offices Preceded by
Robert ZimmermanSecretary of State of Wisconsin
1975–1979Succeeded by
Vel PhillipsPreceded by
Vel PhillipsSecretary of State of Wisconsin
1983—presentIncumbent State secretaries of state in the United States AL: Beth Chapman (R)
AK: No such office
AR: Mark Martin (R)
AZ: Ken Bennett (R)
CA: Debra Bowen (D)
CO: Scott Gessler (R)
CT: Denise Merrill (D)
DE: Harriet Smith Windsor (D)
FL: Kurt S. Browning (R)
GA: Brian Kemp (R)HI: No such office
ID: Ben Ysursa (R)
IL: Jesse White (D)
IN: Charlie White (R)
IA: Matt Schultz (R)
KS: Kris Kobach (R)
KY: Elaine Walker (D)
LA: Tom Schedler (R)
MD: John P. McDonough (D)
MA: Bill Galvin (D)ME: Charlie Summers (R)
MI: Ruth Johnson (R)
MN: Mark Ritchie (D)
MS: Delbert Hosemann (R)
MO: Robin Carnahan (D)
MT: Linda McCulloch (D)
NE: John Gale (R)
NV: Ross Miller (D)
NH: Bill Gardner (I)
NJ: Kim Guadagno (R)NM: Dianna Duran (R)
NY: Cesar A. Perales (D)
NC: Elaine Marshall (D)
ND: Al Jaeger (R)
OH: Jon Husted (R)
OK: Glenn Coffee (R)
OR: Kate Brown (D)
PA: Carol Aichele (R)
RI: Ralph Mollis (D)
SC: Mark Hammond (R)SD: Jason Gant (R)
TN: Tre Hargett (R)
TX: Esperanza Andrade (R)
UT: No such office
VT: Jim Condos (D)
VA: Janet Polarek (R)
WA: Sam Reed (R)
WV: Natalie Tennant (D)
WI: Doug La Follette (D)
WY: Max Maxfield (R)
AS: Lt. Gov. Ipulasi A. Sunia (D)
DC: Cynthia Brock-Smith (D)
GU: Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio (R)
PR: Kenneth McClintock (D-NPP)
VI: No such officeIn Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the office is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
In states without the office, the lieutenant governor may perform some of the typical duties of a Secretary of State.Secretaries of State of Wisconsin Territory State Categories:- 1940 births
- Living people
- La Follette family
- American environmentalists
- Sierra Club
- Columbia University alumni
- Marietta College alumni
- People from Des Moines, Iowa
- People from Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Stanford University alumni
- Wisconsin State Senators
- Writers from Wisconsin
- Secretaries of State of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Democrats
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