National Affairs

Milwaukee's Socialist Mayors Left Lasting Marks on Parks, Housing and Sanitation

Three Socialist mayors elected beginning in 1910 made parks, public housing and sanitation priorities of city government, according to CBS News.

The Continental Gazette standing plate
From the pages of The Continental Gazette.

CBS News reported that Milwaukee, a city long associated with beer and bratwurst, elected three Socialist mayors beginning in 1910, and that those officials made parks, public housing and sanitation priorities of city government.

According to CBS News, the benefits of those priorities are still recognized in Milwaukee today.

The report, under the headline "The legacy of Milwaukee's Socialist mayors," treats the period as a matter of lasting civic consequence.

The summary of the report describes the era in general terms. It does not supply detail on specific parks, housing projects or sanitation measures, and it does not name the three mayors.

CBS News dated the start of the period to 1910. The summary does not say when the period ended or whether the three mayors served consecutive terms.

The report describes the city as long associated with beer and bratwurst before turning to its record of Socialist governance.

Under the report's description, the mayors elected beginning in 1910 treated parks as a municipal priority, as they did public housing and sanitation, placing all three within the work of city government.

This account draws on a single CBS News report on the legacy of Milwaukee's Socialist mayors. The source listing does not name an author, and no other outlet's coverage of the subject was consulted for it.

Further detail on specific programs or on the individual mayors is not contained in the summary available for this account.

Sources: CBS News: The legacy of Milwaukee's Socialist mayors.

The Continental Gazette • Printed for the Publick

Front Page ✦ More from National Affairs