Andrew John Biemiller (July 23, 1906 – April 3, 1982) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

and labor union officer.

Background

Biemiller was born July 23, 1906, in Sandusky, Ohio, and was educated in the public schools there. He got a B. A. degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1926, was an instructor in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

at Syracuse University from 1926 to 1928, and then studied in the graduate school of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

from 1929 to 1931, teaching undergraduate classes, as well as teaching at Bryn Mawr Summer School for Workers (1930–31). After graduating, Biemiller became active in the Socialist Party of America and was a campaign manager for Norman Thomas, Socialist candidate for president in 1932. In 1933, he went to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

to work for the party, serving as educational director of the party from 1933 to 1936, editing the '' Milwaukee Leader'' (a Socialist newspaper) from 1934 to 1936, and working with various organizations. He became an active member of the Farmer-Labor Progressive Federation as well as the Socialist Party. Biemiller was a member of the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 per ...

, and the

American Newspaper Guild The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practices ...

, served on the executive board of the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council and was vice-president of the Wisconsin

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District.

Public office

Assembly

In 1936 he was elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

on the

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of the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics. History The Party was the brainchild of Philip La Follette and Robert M. La Follette, Jr., the sons of the famous Wisco ...

(the Socialists and Progressives were practicing a form of electoral fusion during this period; but his biography clearly identified him as an active Socialist) from the 2nd Milwaukee County district (the 2nd and 10th Wards of the City of Milwaukee), unseating Democratic incumbent Clarence Kretlow, with 6,767 votes to 5867 for Kretlow and 2129 for

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Alex Klose. He was appointed to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s on the

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and

public welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

, to a

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joint committee on "Legislation on Administration of State Government", and perhaps most importantly to the "Interim Committee" appointed in 1937 by the Legislature to discuss

reorganization A corporate action is an event initiated by a public company that brings or could bring an actual change to the securities—equity or debt—issued by the company. Corporate actions are typically agreed upon by a company's board of directors ...

of Wisconsin government. He was re-elected in 1938, with 5,098 votes to 2934 for Republican Edward J. Mueller and 2848 for Democrat William W. Murphy. He remained on the judiciary committee, and was appointed to special committees on "Revenue Needs of the State for the Current Biennium" and automobile title laws. He was re-elected once more in 1940, with 7,812 votes to 4,869 for former Socialist State Representative

Otto Kehrein Otto A. Kehrein (October 22, 1873 – October 14, 1948) was an American carpenter from Milwaukee who served two terms (1929–1932) as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 9th district of Milwaukee County (9th an ...

(now running as a Republican) and 4095 for Democrat Elmer Foerster. He was moved to the committee on

engrossed bill In the United States Congress, an enrolled bill is the final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both houses of Congress in identical form. In the United States, enrolled bills are engrossed—prepared in a formally printed copy ...

s and to an additional special committee on "Subversive and Un-American Activities of Certain Groups of Employes Engaged in the Manufacture of National Defense Materials". His official biography no longer listed him as an active member of the Socialist Party, but did describe him as a member of the Progressive Party Federation; and he became the

floor leader In politics, floor leaders, also known as a caucus leader, are leaders of their respective political party in a body of a legislature. Philippines In the Philippines each body of the bicameral Congress has a majority floor leader and a minor ...

of the Progressive Party in the Assembly. Biemiller continued to work as a special organizer for the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor through 1942, when he moved to Washington to take a position in the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

. He did not run for re-election, and was succeeded in the Assembly by Democrat Michael F. O'Connell.

Congress

In 1944 he was elected as a Democrat (Biemiller had abandoned both the Socialist Party and the Progressives by then) to the

79th Congress The 79th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945, ...

from the Milwaukee-based

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson count ...

, unseating Republican incumbent Lewis D. Thill, with 88,606 votes to Thill's 78,834, Socialist former State Representative Edwin Knappe's 4,758, and 2,103 for

Independent Progressive Independent progressive is a description in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to denote a political progressive, who lacks a formal affiliation to a party. In the United Kingdom In the late 19th century/early 20th century, the Progressive Party ...

Irwin Aaron.OurCampaigns.com > United States > Wisconsin > WI - District 05 November 07, 1944
/ref> He was defeated for re-election in 1946 by Republican

Charles J. Kersten Charles Joseph Kersten (May 26, 1902 – October 31, 1972) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1954,' Biographical Sketch of Charles J. Kersten, pg. 17 Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kersten graduated from Marquette Unive ...

, and went to work as director of political education for the Upholsterers Union. During this period Biemiller joined many other former Socialists and Progressives in helping to found

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pro ...

. He cooperated with

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

in successfully calling for a strong civil rights plank at the

1948 Democratic National Convention The 1948 Democratic National Convention was held at Philadelphia Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 12 to July 14, 1948, and resulted in the nominations of President Harry S. Truman for a full term and Senator Alben W ...

, to which he was a delegate and chair of the platform committee which produced the plank. He defeated Kersten in a 1948 re-match for election to the 81st Congress, but once more lost a bid for re-election in 1950 to Kersten.

After Congress

After losing his seat in Congress, Biemiller worked through the remainder of the

Truman administration Harry S. Truman's tenure as the 33rd president of the United States began on April 12, 1945, upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and ended on January 20, 1953. He had been vice president for only days. A Democrat from Missouri, he ran ...

at the Department of the Interior. He served from 1953 to 1956 as a legislative representative (

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

) for the American Federation of Labor, and then Director of the Department of Legislation (chief lobbyist) of the AFL-CIO from 1956 to 1978. During this period, he played a significant role in passing

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

, Medicare, and other social and economic legislation, especially during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Legacy

As a legislator, congressman and labor activist and advocate, Biemiller had played a role in most major social legislation of his era. He died in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, on April 3, 1982. His papers are at the

Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and infor ...

at the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

References

External links

Andrew J. Biemiller Collection
at the

[transcript] Fuchs, James R. "Oral History Interview with Andrew J. Biemiller" Washington, D.C.: July 29, 1977
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biemiller, Andrew 1906 births 1982 deaths AFL–CIO people Cornell University alumni Politicians from Milwaukee Politicians from Sandusky, Ohio Wisconsin Progressives (1924) Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians Wisconsin State Federation of Labor people Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly