Francis E. McGovern

Francis Edward McGovern (January 21, 1866 – May 16, 1946) was an American lawyer and politician from Wisconsin. He served as the 22nd Governor of Wisconsin from 1911 to 1915. In 1911 especially he sponsored a major series of progressive achievements through the legislature. Originally a close ally of Senator Robert M. La Follette, the two progressive leaders held an uneasy truce for McGovern's reelection in 1912. The two became bitter enemies in 1913-1916 and McGovern lost his bids for office and retired from politics.[1]

Francis E. McGovern
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
September 12, 1911 – November 10, 1914
Preceded byAugustus E. Willson
Succeeded byDavid I. Walsh
22nd Governor of Wisconsin
In office
January 2, 1911 – January 4, 1915
LieutenantThomas Morris
Preceded byJames O. Davidson
Succeeded byEmanuel L. Philipp
Personal details
Born(1866-01-21)January 21, 1866
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1946(1946-05-16) (aged 80)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Home Cemetery
Political partyRepublican (Before 1934)
Democratic (1934–1946)
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin (BA)
Signature

Early life

McGovern was born in Elkhart Lake, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.[2] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1890,[3] and served as high school principal in Brodhead, Wisconsin and Appleton, Wisconsin. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1897.[4] He began the practice of law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Political career

He was elected District Attorney in Milwaukee in 1904, and served as District Attorney from 1903 to 1904 and from 1905 to 1908.[5] In 1908, he ran for U.S. Senator but was defeated. He was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 1910 and 1912.[6] McGovern supported the La Follette progressive wing of the Republican Party. He broke with La Follette in 1912 by supporting Theodore Roosevelt for the Republican nomination. LaFollette did support McGovern's reelection in 1912. La Follette worked to defeat him in 1914, in conjunction with anti-tax conservative Republicans, who opposed McGovern's introduction of the state's income tax.[7][4] He ran for U.S. Senator in 1914 and was defeated.[8]

After leaving the governorship, he resumed the practice of law. When World War I began he entered the U.S. Army as a major, and served as Judge Advocate of the 18th Division.[9] In 1920 he served as general counsel for the U.S. Shipping Board.[5] He resumed the practice of law in Milwaukee in 1921 and served as president of the Milwaukee Bar Association in 1923.[10] He was a member of the executive committee of the Wisconsin State Bar Association.

He died on May 16, 1946, in Milwaukee, and is interred in Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee.[11]

References
  1. Herbert F. Margulies, “The Background of the La Follette - McGovern Schism.” Wisconsin Magazine of History 40#1, 1956, pp. 21–29. online
  2. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, ed. (1981). The State of Wisconsin 1981-1982 Blue Book. Wisconsin Department of Administration. p. 697.
  3. "Francis E. McGovern Papers, 1909-1915, 1935". Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aid. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  4. Buenker, John D. (1998). The History of Wisconsin, Vol. IV: The Progressive Era, 1893-1914. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society. p. 528. ISBN 9780870206313.
  5. "Francis E. McGovern, 1905-1944". Milwaukee County Historical Society. February 25, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  6. "Francis E. McGovern, Progressive Era governor". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  7. "McGovern, Francis E." Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  8. McGovern, Francis 1966 - 1976
  9. "Francis E. McGovern Papers, 1909-1915, 1935". Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aid. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  10. E. Thompson Company (1922). Law Notes, Volume 26. E. Thompson Company. p. 215.
  11. "Historical People". Forest Home Cemetery. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2014.

Further reading
  • Buenker, John D. The History of Wisconsin, Vol. IV: The Progressive Era, 1893-1914 (Wisconsin Historical Society, 1998).
  • Margulies, Herbert F. The Decline of the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin, 1890-1920 (1969)
  • Margulies, Herbert F. "The Background of the La Follette-McGovern Schism." Wisconsin Magazine of History (1956) 40#1: 21–29. online
  • Stevens, Michael E. " 'A Fair Chance for All' McGovern's Progressivism." Wisconsin Magazine of History 100.4 (2017): 46–51.
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