Doug La Follette

Doug La Follette
Secretary of State of Wisconsin
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Vel Phillips
In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Robert Zimmerman
Personal details
Born	June 6, 1940 (1940-06-06) (age 71) Des Moines, Iowa
Political 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]

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

1. ^ "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. 
2. ^ La Follette weathers Republican tsunami, Journal Sentinel Dec. 11, 2010
3. ^ "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. 
4. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
5. ^ 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 Zimmerman	Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1975–1979	Succeeded by Vel Phillips
Preceded by Vel Phillips	Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1983—present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	La Follette, Doug
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 6, 1940
Place of birth	Des Moines, Iowa
Date of death
Place of death