Paul Soglin
Encyclopedia
Paul Soglin is the mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
.
and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1966 and, in 1972, a law degree from the university's law school.
History Department, Soglin was first elected to Madison's Common Council in 1968. He was re-elected in 1970, and 1972. The following year, he ran for mayor
of Madison and was elected.
In May 1969, Soglin, while representing the Eighth Ward, was twice arrested at the first infamous Mifflin Street Block Party
. Soglin was tried and found guilty of "Failing to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Officer." The charge from the second day, "Unlawful Assembly," was thrown out by a federal court. The following fall he enrolled in law school.
He served as mayor of Madison for three terms from 1973 to 1979. In 1979 he became a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. After serving for nearly a decade as a lawyer in Madison, Soglin returned to office in 1989, serving three additional terms as mayor until 1997. The last term was not completed when Soglin made an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives
in 1996, seeking to represent Wisconsin's Second Congressional District. In 2003, he sought election once again as mayor of Madison -- when Soglin was often perceived as the more conservative candidate -- and Soglin was defeated by a narrow margin by Dave Cieslewicz
.
Soglin announced that he was again a City of Madison Mayoral candidate in the 2011 race. On April 5, Soglin defeated Incumbent Dave Cieslewicz
in a close election. He took the oath of office for his third stint as mayor on April 19, 2011.
During Soglin's terms in office, Madison's bond rating (per Moody's Investment Services) was upgraded to AAA status. Madison was also named to the most livable cities list several times during Soglin's second tenure as mayor, capturing the number one spot in 1996 and again in 1998.
.
Soglin participated in numerous demonstrations and supported a number of causes, but his most notable moment as an activist was his participation in demonstrations against The Dow Chemical Company on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in 1967. Dow had come to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus to recruit engineering students as potential new employees, but students were protesting the company because of Dow's role in the war in Vietnam
(the company was the manufacturer of napalm
).
Dow also manufactured Agent Orange which, unbeknownst to the students and the soldiers serving in Vietnam, was to be a far more devastating chemical, due primarily to the fact that it contained small amounts of dioxin.
Soglin was beaten by police during the demonstrations and was elected to lead the subsequent student strike.
Much of this demonstration was captured on film, and an interview of Soglin by journalist and author David Maraniss
served as the basis for several chapters of the book They Marched Into Sunlight
, as well as the PBS documentary
Two Days In October. Interview footage with Soglin also figures prominently in the documentary, The War at Home
(1979), which chronicled the history of Madison in the Vietnam War
era.
In 1975, Soglin became the first U.S. mayor and only the fourth politician from the United States to meet Fidel Castro
.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
.
Early life and education
Soglin was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. He graduated from Highland Park High SchoolHighland Park High School (Highland Park, Illinois)
Highland Park High School, or HPHS, is a public four-year high school located in Highland Park, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 113, which also includes Deerfield High School.Prior to the 1949–50 school year, the...
and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1966 and, in 1972, a law degree from the university's law school.
Political career
While a graduate student in the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
History Department, Soglin was first elected to Madison's Common Council in 1968. He was re-elected in 1970, and 1972. The following year, he ran for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Madison and was elected.
In May 1969, Soglin, while representing the Eighth Ward, was twice arrested at the first infamous Mifflin Street Block Party
Mifflin Street Block Party
The Mifflin Street Block Party is an annual celebration held on Mifflin Street in Madison, Wisconsin on the first Saturday of May. The 2011 Mifflin Block Party is scheduled for April 30th. It is one of two large parties held in Madison, the other being the Halloween party on State Street. In 2005,...
. Soglin was tried and found guilty of "Failing to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Officer." The charge from the second day, "Unlawful Assembly," was thrown out by a federal court. The following fall he enrolled in law school.
He served as mayor of Madison for three terms from 1973 to 1979. In 1979 he became a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. After serving for nearly a decade as a lawyer in Madison, Soglin returned to office in 1989, serving three additional terms as mayor until 1997. The last term was not completed when Soglin made an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1996, seeking to represent Wisconsin's Second Congressional District. In 2003, he sought election once again as mayor of Madison -- when Soglin was often perceived as the more conservative candidate -- and Soglin was defeated by a narrow margin by Dave Cieslewicz
Dave Cieslewicz
David J. Cieslewicz ; born February 17, 1959) is an American politician who served as mayor of Madison, Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life and early career:...
.
Soglin announced that he was again a City of Madison Mayoral candidate in the 2011 race. On April 5, Soglin defeated Incumbent Dave Cieslewicz
Dave Cieslewicz
David J. Cieslewicz ; born February 17, 1959) is an American politician who served as mayor of Madison, Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life and early career:...
in a close election. He took the oath of office for his third stint as mayor on April 19, 2011.
Accomplishments as mayor
Soglin led Madison through a dynamic period of change and growth. Among the changes and accomplishments on his watch:- Soglin led the project to construct the State StreetState Street (Madison)State Street is a pedestrian mall located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, United States, near the Wisconsin State Capitol. The road proper extends from the west corner of land comprising the Capitol westward to Lake Street, adjoining the campus of the University of Wisconsin - Madison at Library...
Mall and the Concourse around the Capitol Square. - Under his guidance, the city started its first day care program, providing certification for independent day care centers.
- During his first administration, the city coordinated renovation of several buildings on State Street to build the Madison Civic Center. (That center was itself renovated and is now the Overture CenterOverture CenterOverture Center for the Arts is a performing arts center and art gallery in Madison, Wisconsin, which replaced the Civic Center. The center was commissioned by Jerome Frautschi, designed by Cesar Pelli, and built by J.H. Findorff and Son. Flad Architects and Potter Lawson led the project as...
.) - Soglin led reforms in the city's hiring of women and minorities.
- Soglin was part of a team that supported the construction in the 1990s of Monona TerraceMonona TerraceMonona Terrace is a convention center on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.-Controversy:...
, a building originally conceived by noted architect Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in the 1930s.
During Soglin's terms in office, Madison's bond rating (per Moody's Investment Services) was upgraded to AAA status. Madison was also named to the most livable cities list several times during Soglin's second tenure as mayor, capturing the number one spot in 1996 and again in 1998.
Activism
Soglin is a noted activist, an aspect of his public life that began when he was a student at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Soglin participated in numerous demonstrations and supported a number of causes, but his most notable moment as an activist was his participation in demonstrations against The Dow Chemical Company on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in 1967. Dow had come to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus to recruit engineering students as potential new employees, but students were protesting the company because of Dow's role in the war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
(the company was the manufacturer of napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
).
Dow also manufactured Agent Orange which, unbeknownst to the students and the soldiers serving in Vietnam, was to be a far more devastating chemical, due primarily to the fact that it contained small amounts of dioxin.
Soglin was beaten by police during the demonstrations and was elected to lead the subsequent student strike.
Much of this demonstration was captured on film, and an interview of Soglin by journalist and author David Maraniss
David Maraniss
David Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. As a reporter for The Washington Post he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his stories about the life and career of candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign for the U.S...
served as the basis for several chapters of the book They Marched Into Sunlight
They Marched into Sunlight
They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967 is a book written by Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author David Maraniss, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2004 and won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize...
, as well as the PBS documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Two Days In October. Interview footage with Soglin also figures prominently in the documentary, The War at Home
The War at Home (1979 film)
The War at Home is a documentary film about the anti-war movement in the Madison, Wisconsin area during the time of the Vietnam War. It combines archival footage and interviews with participants that explore the events of the period on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus...
(1979), which chronicled the history of Madison in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
era.
In 1975, Soglin became the first U.S. mayor and only the fourth politician from the United States to meet Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Sources
- Kenner, Robert, director (2005). Two Days in October. Documentary film. PBS Direct. DVD Release, November 8, 2005. ASIN B000BKSITY
- Maraniss, David (2003). They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America, October 1967. Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. ISBN 0-7432-1780-2 - Silber, Glenn and Barry Alexander Brown, directors (1979). The War at HomeThe War at Home (1979 film)The War at Home is a documentary film about the anti-war movement in the Madison, Wisconsin area during the time of the Vietnam War. It combines archival footage and interviews with participants that explore the events of the period on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus...
. Documentary film. Buena Vista Home Entertainment. DVD Release, September 3, 2002. ASIN B000065V3U - http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=31820
External links
- Waxing America, Paul Soglin's blog.