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| Affiliation | Socialist |
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| Name | Victor L. Berger |
| Address |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
February 28, 1860
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| Died | July 16, 1929
(69 years)
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | Chronicler
Oct 12, 2024 08:08am |
| Tags |
German - Judaism -
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| Info | Victor Berger, the son of an innkeeper, was born in Nieder-Rehbach, Austria-Hungary, on 28th February, 1860. After attending the universities of Vienna and Budapest, Berger emigrated to the United States in 1878.
Berger did a variety of different jobs before becoming a teacher in the German-speaking city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He soon became involved in radical politics and this resulted in him losing his job. In 1892 Berger established his own German-language daily newspaper, the Wisconsin Vorwarts. When this closed in 1901 Berger replaced it with the Social Democratic Herald.
In 1901 Berger joined with Eugene Debs and Morris Hillquit to establish the American Socialist Party. The party was very strong in Milwaukee and played a major role in the city's government for the next fifty years. In 1910 Berger became the first socialist in the United States to be elected to Congress. The following year he proposed a bill to provide old age pensions.
Berger was a strong opponent of America's involvement in the First World War. In 1918 he was charged under the Espionage Act and after being found guilty was sentenced to twenty years in prison. While free on appeal, Berger was elected to Congress in 1919 with an increased majority. In 1921 the Supreme Court overturned Berger's conviction.
As well as representing the people of Milwaukee in Congress, Berger edited the Milwaukee Leader (1911-1921) and served as chairman of the American Socialist Party (1927-1929). A collection of his speeches and editorials, Voice and Pen, was published in 1929. Victor Berger died on 16th July, 1929, from injuries sustained in a streetcar accident in Milwaukee.
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