“Boss” Robert La Follette and the Paradox of the U.S. Progressive Movement

Abstract

If we say that there was a Progressive movement to transform early twentieth-century American society, then Robert M. La Follette was certainly among its core figures. The life-or-death battle in Wisconsin between La Follette and the state's political machines and bosses was praised by contemporaries in the early twentieth century and later developed into a legend. His model of reform, summarized as “the Wisconsin idea,” spread throughout the United States and even became famous abroad. After 1906, La Follette brought his experience with reform in Wisconsin to Congress, quickly becoming a leader of opinion on antitrust, labor, and antiwar issues. His enthusiasm for politics and his eloquent oratory style won him the appellation “Fighting Bob.” In 1957, a committee headed by John F. Kennedy honored La Follette as one of the five most outstanding senators since the founding of the nation (along with Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, and Robert A. Taft).1