Henry Maier
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Henry Maier
OR:
Henry Maier on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Henry Walter Maier (February 7, 1918 – July 17, 1994) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
and the longest-serving
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
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 i ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, holding office from 1960 to 1988. A Democrat, Maier was a powerful and controversial figure, presiding over an era of economic and political turbulence for the city of Milwaukee.


Early life

Maier was born Henry Walter David Nelke in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
. After his father died, he moved with his mother to
Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northe ...
to live with his grandparents. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1936. When his mother moved to Milwaukee and married contractor Charles Maier, Nelke accompanied her. He changed his name to Henry Walter Maier in 1938. Maier served in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He earned a bachelor's degree from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...
and a master's degree from
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...
. Maier was in the insurance business and taught
workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
and general liability insurance at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.


Political career

A member of the Democratic Party, Maier was elected to the
Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
in 1950. In 1960 he was elected Milwaukee's mayor, succeeding
Frank Zeidler Frank Paul Zeidler (September 20, 1912 – July 7, 2006) was an American socialist politician and mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving three terms from April 20, 1948, to April 18, 1960. Zeidler, a member of the Socialist Party of America, i ...
, the last of Milwaukee's
Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
mayors. Maier's term included the
1967 Milwaukee riot The 1967 Milwaukee riot was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the " Long Hot Summer of 1967". In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, African American residents, outraged by the slow pace in ending housing discrimination and ...
, a response by the African-American community to a host of issues including housing discrimination and
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to ...
. (Maier's opposition to the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
caused constant friction with his administration and Milwaukee's non-white residents). Maier remained in office for 28 years, succeeded by John Norquist in 1988. He was the longest-serving mayor in Milwaukee history. In 1971 and 1972, he served as president of the
United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded i ...
.


Later life, death, and legacy

In 1993, Maier wrote a political memoir: ''The Mayor Who Made Milwaukee Famous''. He died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...
at age 76 at his home in
Delafield, Wisconsin Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, along the Bark River. The population was 7,085 at the 2010 census. The city of Delafield is a separate municipality from the Town of Delafield, both of which are situated in township 7 Nort ...
. The
Henry Maier Festival Park Henry Maier Festival Park is a 75-acre festival park located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the shore Lake Michigan and is the site of the annual Summerfest musical festival and the home of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. History Be ...
, where
Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts app ...
is held, was named in his honor."Henry W. Maier: 1918-1994-Maier Leaves Mixed Legacy". ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', July 18, 1994, p. 11A.


See also

* List of mayors of Milwaukee


Notes


External links

*
Henry W. Maier
at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries
'Urban Statesman' Steps Down
in ''The Washington Post''
Henry Maier
at ''Milwaukee Magazine''

at CYC-Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Maier, Henry W. 1918 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Navy personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Milwaukee Deaths from pneumonia in Wisconsin Mayors of Milwaukee Military personnel from Milwaukee Politicians from Dayton, Ohio Politicians from Springfield, Ohio Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee faculty Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Writers from Dayton, Ohio Writers from Milwaukee Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio 20th-century American businesspeople