MADISON, Wis. — For decades, a statue inside the state Capitol of one of Wisconsin's most famous politicians had no backstory, at least if you did not already know it on your own.
Now, a distant relative of Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette is keeping his legacy alive.
Doug La Follette, elected to his 12th term as Wisconsin's Secretary of State in November, said he walked by the bust of his first cousin twice removed for nearly 30 years before realizing there was no plaque explaining who “Fighting Bob” was.
Best known for founding the Progressive Party, and championing the so-called "Wisconsin Idea," everyone who now walks past the “Fighting Bob” statue will know it is so much more than a mere bust.
“He contributed greatly to both Wisconsin and United States history,” Doug La Follette explained during an unveiling ceremony in the rotunda Monday. “The open primaries in an election, a fair tax system.”
“Fighting Bob” served in the House for six years, then as Wisconsin's governor in the early 1900s, followed by almost two decades in the U.S. Senate. He even ran for president as the Progressive Party candidate leading up to his death in 1925.
“He fought for the rights of workers to organize unions, for the preservation of the environment, and to regulate lobbyists and end patronage politics,” said Norman Stockwell, publisher of "The Progressive" magazine, which was originally started by Robert and Belle La Follette.
Though the bust of “Fighting Bob” has been around the Capitol for decades, until Monday, it only bore Robert La Follette's name with no mention of his legacy.
After pushing for a plaque for two years, and winning approval from a committee that regulates the Capitol building, Doug La Follette had to raise $2,700 to pay for it. He fell short of that and has only raised about $1,300 so far, which is a difference La Follette said he would cover out of his pocket.
“Where is this man when we need him now? Oh, if he were in the U.S. Senate representing us right now — a dream,” Doug La Follette said as the ceremony wrapped up Monday.
The update to the Robert La Follette bust isn't the only project on the Capitol grounds slated for 2023. A new statue of Vel Phillips, the first Black person and the first woman to serve as Wisconsin's Secretary of State, will be dedicated later this year or early next year, if the project is behind schedule.
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