Doug La Follette
| Doug La Follette | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| La Follette in 2006 | |
| Secretary of State of Wisconsin | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1983 |
|
| Governor | Tony Earl Tommy Thompson Scott McCallum Jim Doyle Scott Walker |
| Preceded by | Vel Phillips |
| In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1979 |
|
| Governor | Patrick Lucey Martin Schreiber |
| Preceded by | Robert Zimmerman |
| Succeeded by | Vel Phillips |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 6, 1940 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Marietta College Stanford University Columbia University |
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] He ran for Governor in the special election to recall Scott Walker.
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Early life and career [edit]
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 was an uncle of Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette.[2]
Political career [edit]
La Follette first ran for office in the 1970 U.S. House of Representatives election, losing to Les Aspin in the Democratic primary for 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 Secretary of State, defeating incumbent Vel Phillips. La Follette has been the Secretary of State of Wisconsin 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 the 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.
In 2012, La Follette ran for Governor in the special election to recall Scott Walker.
Other roles [edit]
- 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 [edit]
| Wisconsin Gubernatorial Recall Election 2012 - Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Tom Barrett | 390,109 | 58 | ||
| Democratic | Kathleen Falk | 228,940 | 34 | ||
| Democratic | Kathleen Vinehout | 26,926 | 4 | ||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 19,461 | 3 | ||
| Known Republican running as Spoiler Candidate | Gladys Huber | 4,842 | 1 | ||
| Wisconsin Secretary of State Election 2010 - General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 52 | |||
| Republican | David King | 48 | |||
| Wisconsin Secretary of State Election 2006 - General Election | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 57 | |||
| Republican | Sandy Sullivan | 38 | |||
| Green Party | Michael LaForest | 4.5 | |||
| Wisconsin Secretary of State Election 2006 - Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 72 | |||
| Democratic | Scot Ross | 28 | |||
Notes [edit]
- ^ "La Follette, Douglas J". Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ La Follette weathers Republican tsunami, Journal Sentinel Dec. 11, 2010
External links [edit]
- Office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State
- Official Campaign Website
- WisPolitics: Article on the 2006 Convention Straw Poll
- Clean Wisconsin
| 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 |
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- 1940 births
- American environmentalists
- Columbia University alumni
- La Follette family
- Living people
- Marietta College alumni
- People from Des Moines, Iowa
- People from Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Secretaries of State of Wisconsin
- Sierra Club
- Stanford University alumni
- Wisconsin Democrats
- Wisconsin State Senators
- Writers from Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin–Parkside faculty
