Douglaston's Own: Philip La Follette

While much of Philip La Follette’s life and career was spent in Wisconsin, the long-time politician made his home in Douglaston for four years in the 1950s.

La Follette was born in 1897 into a politically prominent family in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1918, he served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry during World War I.

The following year, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin and, in 1922, earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the same school.

One year later, he married Isabel Bacon.

La Follette first got into politics in 1925 when he became the district attorney for Wisconsin’s Dane County.

From 1931 to 1933, he served his first term as the state’s governor and, in 1935, he was elected again, serving four more years.

At the time of his first election, he was a progressive member of the state’s Republican Party. But he was defeated in that party’s primary in 1932.

So, he and his brother, Robert La Follette, Jr., created the Wisconsin Progressive Party in ran successfully in 1934.

During his tenure, he implemented many of the progressive measures of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

In 1938, he attempted to launch the National Progressive Party of America in an attempt to create a third party with the understanding that Roosevelt would not seek a third term.

But La Follette was defeated during his 1938 re-election bid. And after Roosevelt decided to run for another term, La Follette decided not to run again for public office.

He strongly opposed the U.S.’s entry into World War II, but eventually joined the Army after war was declared, serving on General Douglas MacArthur’s staff.

He later spearheaded a slate of delegates to support MacArthur in the 1948 presidential election.

In the 1950s, he abandoned politics completely, moving to Douglaston, where he served as the president of Hazeltine Electronics. He lived in northeast Queens from 1955 to 1959.

He later moved back to his home state, where he wrote his autobiography and became active in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

La Follette died in Madison at age 68 in 1965.