Carl Frederick Zeidler (January 4, 1908 – December 11, 1942) was an American politician and the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

of the city of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, from 1940 to 1942, winning election by unseating six-term Socialist mayor

Dan Hoan Daniel Webster Hoan Jr. (March 12, 1881 – June 11, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1940. A lawyer who had served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1910 to 1916, Hoan was a p ...

. After just two years in office Zeidler resigned his position as mayor to enlist in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

to fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His merchant marine ship and all hands died the coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in December 1942 after being hit by a German U-boat U-159 torpedo attack.

Biography

Early years

Zeidler was born January 4, 1908, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to parents of German ancestry. He graduated from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

in 1929 and received a J.D. in 1931.

Political career

Serving as an assistant city attorney for Milwaukee (1936–1940), Zeidler stunned the city when he upset six-term

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

mayor

Daniel Hoan Daniel Webster Hoan Jr. (March 12, 1881 – June 11, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1940. A lawyer who had served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1910 to 1916, Hoan was a p ...

to become mayor of Milwaukee in 1940. Hoan had served as mayor for the past 24 years. His rise to power was orchestrated by young writers

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...

(later the author of '' Psycho'') and Harold Gauer, who created elaborate campaign shows. In Bloch's autobiography, '' Once Around the Bloch'', he gives an inside account of the campaign, and the innovations he and Gauer came up with, such as the original "releasing-balloons-from-the-ceiling" ''schtick''. He comments bitterly on how, after Zeidler's election, they were ignored and not even paid their promised salaries, while credit was taken by local establishment figures like Milton Rice Polland instead. Bloch ends the account with a philosophical point:

Death and legacy

Zeidler's election was attracting attention on the national political scene as

broke out. After a year in office, Zeidler came to believe he could best help the war effort by enlisting; he resigned his position as mayor and accepted a Naval Reserve

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

on April 8, 1942. He asked for the most dangerous job on ship and became officer in charge of a gun battery on board the

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

SS La Salle. The ship and all hands were reported missing off the coast of

on November 7, 1942, sunk by a German U-boat U-159 torpedo attack. Zeidler was officially presumed dead December 11, 1944. A gravestone cenotaph marks his plot at

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...

in Milwaukee. Carl's brother, socialist Frank P. Zeidler, later became mayor of Milwaukee and served in that position from 1948 to 1960. Carl's mayoral papers are archived at

Milwaukee Public Library Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) is the public library system in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, consisting of a central library and 13 branches, all part of the Milwaukee County Federated Library System. MPL is the largest public library sy ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeidler, Carl 1908 births 1940s missing person cases 1942 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin American people of German descent Marquette University alumni Marquette University Law School alumni Mayors of Milwaukee Military personnel from Milwaukee Missing in action of World War II Missing person cases in Africa People who died at sea United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel killed in World War II United States Navy reservists Burials at Forest Home Cemetery

Biography

Early years

Political career

Death and legacy

See also

References