A friend of mine from Chicago recently sent me an email about Victor L. Berger. If you've never heard of this Wisconsonian, you are not alone. I had no idea who he was until I read the email.
Born in Austria-Hungary in 1860, Berger and his family moved to the United States in 1878 and settled in Milwaukee in 1881. Along with Eugene Debs and others, he was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party. He won the election in 1919 for Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District (a position now held by James Sensenbrenner - how times have changed) but was denied his seat because of his conviction for violating the Espionage Act. My friend picks up the story: "I love Wisconsin: after his seat in Congress was ruled vacant, the Feds ordered a special election to fill it. Berger was promptly re-elected. That's just awesome. Politics were so cool back then..."
For more info on Berger, check out the Wisconsin Historical Society.
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