Victor L. Berger
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Victor Berger, photograph and caption from a 1920 Literary Digest article |
Victor Louis (Luitpold) Berger (
February 28,
1860 –
August 7,
1929) was an
American politician and a founding member of the
Socialist Party of America. In
1919 he was convicted of violating the
Espionage Act and twice denied a seat in the
House of Representatives though
elected repeatedly.
Born in
Nieder Rehbach,
Austria-Hungary, Berger attended the
Gymnasia at
Leutschau and the universities at
Budapest and
Vienna. He and his parents immigrated to the
United States in
1878, settling near
Bridgeport,
Connecticut; he moved to
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, in
1881, where he was a schoolteacher and newspaper editor. He published and edited a number of different papers, including the German language
Wisconsin Vorwaerts (Forward) (1892-1911), the
Social-Democratic Herald (1901-1913), and the Milwaukee
Leader (1911-1929). His papers were tied to the socialist movement and organized labor through the
Milwaukee Federated Trades Council.
In
1896 Berger was a delegate to the
People's Party Convention in
St. Louis, and in
1897 was an organizer of the
Social Democratic Party (later known as the
Socialist Party, created from a split with the
Socialist Labour party organized with Berger,
Eugene V. Debs,
Morris Hillquit and others).
He ran for Congress and lost in
1904 before winning a House seat in
1910 as the first socialist to serve in the United States Congress. In Congress, he focused on issues related to the
District of Columbia and also more radical proposals including eliminating the President's
veto and the social takeover of major industries. Berger gained national publicity for his old-age pension bill, the first of its kind introduced into Congress. Berger did not win re-election in
1912, or again in
1914 and
1916, but remained active in Wisconsin and Socialist Party politics.
Berger's views on World War I were complicated by the socialist view and the difficulties around his German heritage. However, he did support his party's stance against the war. When the United States entered the war and passed the
Espionage Act in
1917, Berger's continued opposition made him a target: He and four other Socialists were indicted for insubordination and disloyalty under the Espionage Act in February
1918; the trial followed on
December 9 of that year, and on
February 20,
1919, Berger was sentenced to 20 years' hard labor in
Leavenworth Prison by Judge
Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The conviction was appealed, and ultimately overturned in 1921 by the
Supreme Court on a technicality.
In spite of his being under indictment at the time, the people of Milwaukee elected Berger to the House of Representatives in
1918. When Berger arrived in Washington to claim his seat, Congress formed a special committee to determine whether a convicted felon and war opponent should be seated as a member of Congress; on
November 10,
1919 they concluded that he should not, and declared the seat vacant. Wisconsin promptly held a special election to fill the vacant seat, and on
December 19 elected Berger a second time; the House again refused to seat him, and the seat remained vacant until 1921, when Republican William H. Stafford claimed the seat after defeating Berger in the 1920 general election.
Berger defeated Stafford in
1922 and was reelected in
1924 and
1926. He dealt with Constitutional changes, a proposed elderly pension, unemployment insurance, and public housing. He also supported the recognition of the
Soviet Union and the revision of the
Versailles Treaty. After his defeat by Stafford in
1928, he returned to Milwaukee and resumed his career as a newspaper editor until his death caused by a
streetcar accident. He was buried at
Forest Home Cemetery.
*
Socialist Party of America*
Espionage Act*
Palmer Raids*
Red Scare*
United States House of Representatives*
A Victor Without Peace: Victor Berger and Socialist Opposition to World War One*
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
