Victor L. Berger
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Victor Louis (Luitpold) Berger (February 28, 1860 – August 7, 1929) was an American politician and a founding member of the Socialist Party of America. In 1919 he was convicted of violating the Espionage Act and twice denied a seat in the House of Representatives though elected repeatedly.
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[edit] Early years
Born in Nieder Rehbach, Austria-Hungary, Berger attended the Gymnasia at Leutschau and the universities at Budapest and Vienna. He and his parents immigrated to the United States in 1878, settling near Bridgeport, Connecticut; he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1881, where he was a schoolteacher and newspaper editor. He published and edited a number of different papers, including the German language Wisconsin Vorwaerts (Forward) (1892-1911), the Social-Democratic Herald (1901-1913), and the Milwaukee Leader (1911-1929). His papers were tied to the socialist movement and organized labor through the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council.
In 1896 Berger was a delegate to the People’s Party Convention in St. Louis, and in 1897 was an organizer of the Social Democratic Party (later known as the Socialist Party, created from a split with the Socialist Labor party organized with Berger, Eugene V. Debs, Morris Hillquit and others).
[edit] First term in Congress
He ran for Congress and lost in 1904 before winning Wisconsin's 5th congressional district seat in 1910 as the first socialist to serve in the United States Congress. In Congress, he focused on issues related to the District of Columbia and also more radical proposals including eliminating the President's veto and the social takeover of major industries. Berger gained national publicity for his old-age pension bill, the first of its kind introduced into Congress. Berger did not win re-election in 1912 or again in 1914 and 1916, but remained active in Wisconsin and Socialist Party politics.
[edit] Berger and World War I
Berger's views on World War I were complicated by the socialist view and the difficulties around his Germanic heritage. However, he did support his party's stance against the war. When the United States entered the war and passed the Espionage Act in 1917, Berger's continued opposition made him a target: He and four other Socialists were indicted under the Espionage Act in February 1918; the trial followed on December 9 of that year, and on February 20, 1919, Berger was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. The original trial was presided over by Judge Kenesaw Landis, who was later the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. The conviction was appealed, and ultimately overturned on January 31, 1921 by the Supreme Court on a technicality.
In spite of his being under indictment at the time, the people of Milwaukee elected Berger to the House of Representatives in 1918. When Berger arrived in Washington to claim his seat, Congress formed a special committee to determine whether a convicted felon and war opponent should be seated as a member of Congress; on November 10, 1919 they concluded that he should not, and declared the seat vacant. Wisconsin promptly held a special election to fill the vacant seat, and on December 19 elected Berger a second time. On January 10, 1920, the House again refused to seat him, and the seat remained vacant until 1921, when Republican William H. Stafford claimed the seat after defeating Berger in the 1920 general election.
[edit] Second period in Congress
Berger defeated Stafford in 1922 and was reelected in 1924 and 1926. He dealt with constitutional changes, a proposed old-age pension, unemployment insurance, and public housing. He also supported the recognition of the Soviet Union and the revision of the Versailles Treaty. After his defeat by Stafford in 1928, he returned to Milwaukee and resumed his career as a newspaper editor until his death caused by a streetcar accident. He was buried at Forest Home Cemetery.
[edit] See also
- Socialist Party of America
- Espionage Act
- Palmer Raids
- First Red Scare
- United States House of Representatives
- Sewer Socialism
