The legacy of Milwaukee's Socialist mayors
Summary
Milwaukee elected three Socialist mayors between 1910 and 1960, whose administrations focused on practical city services such as parks, public housing and sewer improvements. Under Mayor Daniel Hoan, the city opened the Jones Island sewage treatment plant in 1925, becoming the first major U.S. city with a modern sewage treatment plant.Key Facts
- Emil Seidel served as Milwaukee mayor from 1910 to 1912.
- Daniel Hoan served from 1916 to 1940, and Frank Zeidler served from 1948 to 1960.
- The three Socialist mayors governed Milwaukee for nearly 40 years in total.
- Milwaukee's Socialist movement drew support from working-class residents and educated German immigrants.
- The city's Socialist mayors emphasized practical public services, a style called “Sewer Socialism.”
- Before the Jones Island facility opened, regional sewage flowed into rivers that drained into Lake Michigan, the city's drinking-water source.
- Opened in 1925 under Hoan, the Jones Island facility was described as treating as much as 400 million gallons of wastewater each day.
- The article says Seidel's first acts as mayor included displaying the city budget publicly.
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