(1) Robert M. La Follette, Sr., better known as ‘Fighting Bob’ La Follette, was born more than 150 years ago, on June 14, 1855, in Primrose, Wisconsin.
(2) Fighting Bob was elected to 3 terms in the United States House of Representatives, 3 terms as Governor of Wisconsin, and 4 terms as a United States Senator.
(3) Fighting Bob founded the Progressive wing of the Republican Party.
(4) Fighting Bob was a lifelong supporter of civil rights and women’s suffrage, earning respect and support from such distinguished Americans as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Upton.
(5) Fighting Bob helped to make the ‘Wisconsin Idea’ a reality at the Federal and State level, instituting election reforms, environmental conservation, railroad rate regulation, increased education funding, and business regulation.
(6) Fighting Bob was a principal advocate for the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which calls for the election of United States Senators by popular vote.
(7) Fighting Bob delivered an historic speech, ‘Free Speech in Wartime’, opposing the public persecution of those who sought to hold their Government accountable.
(8) Fighting Bob played a key role in exposing the corruption during the Teapot Dome Scandal.
(9) Fighting Bob and his wife, Belle Case La Follette, founded La Follette’s Weekly, now renamed The Progressive, a monthly magazine for the Progressive community.
(10) Fighting Bob ran for the presidency on the Progressive ticket in 1924, winning more than 17 percent of the popular vote.
(11) The Library of Congress recognized Fighting Bob in 1985 by naming the Congressional Research Service reading room in the Madison Building in honor of both Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and his son, Robert M. La Follette, Jr., for their shared commitment to the development of a legislative research service to support the United States Congress.
(12) Fighting Bob was honored in 1929 with 1 of 2 statues representing the State of Wisconsin in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.
(13) Fighting Bob was chosen as one of ‘Five Outstanding Senators’ by the Special Committee on the Senate Reception Room in 1957.
(14) A portrait of Fighting Bob was unveiled in the Senate Reception Room in March 1959.
(15) Fighting Bob was revered by his supporters for his unwavering support of his ideals, and for his tenacious pursuit of a more just and accountable Government.
U.S. Congress - Text of S.964 as Introduced in Senate A bill to authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf of Congr...
