Doug La Follette | |
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28th and 30th Secretary of State of Wisconsin | |
Assumed office January 3, 1983 |
|
Governor |
Tony Earl Tommy Thompson Scott McCallum Jim Doyle Scott Walker |
Preceded by | Vel Phillips |
In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1979 |
|
Governor |
Patrick Lucey Martin Schreiber |
Preceded by | Robert Zimmerman |
Succeeded by | Vel Phillips |
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 22nd district |
|
In office 1972–1974 |
|
Preceded by | Joseph Lourigan |
Succeeded by | John Maurer |
Personal details | |
Born |
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
June 6, 1940
Political party | Democratic |
Education |
Marietta College (BS) Stanford University (MS) Columbia University (PhD) |
Douglas J. "Doug" La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental activist, and politician from the state of Wisconsin. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin. He ran in the 2012 Democratic primary during the special election to recall Governor Scott Walker.
La Follette was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marietta College, his Master of Science in chemistry from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University. He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha.
Known as an environmentalist before running for public office, he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.
His great-grandfather was an uncle of Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette.Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette's grandson, former Wisconsin Attorney General Bronson La Follette, has described Doug La Follette as a "second cousin, three times removed" from Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette. According to professor and author Nancy Unger, Doug would also be considered the 3rd cousin of Bronson. Doug went on to serve with Bronson from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987.