PHCS - Key Persons
Byron Kilbourn was a ruthless businessman from Ohio who saw promise for Milwaukee as a port city but was forced to focus his sights on the west side of the river outside of Juneau's claim. This land technically belonged to the Potawatomi. In collusion with a crooked surveyor, Kilbourn had this land included on an 1835 federal survey. He was then able to take control of this area. He developed the west side (Kilbourntown) as a separate community from that on the east (Juneautown). Kilbourn became mayor of the incorporated Milwaukee in 1848.
Carrie Nation, a temperance movement leader, once said, "If there is any place that is hell on earth, it is Milwaukee." After World War I, the prohibitionists convinced many people, including U.S. government officials, that alcohol was the cause of most of society's ills. With its German connotations, beer was singled out for being especially unpatriotic. On July 1st, 1919, Prohibition became national policy.Although beer production was never central to the overall economy of the city, Prohibition had negative effects on the economy and character of Milwaukee. The larger breweries were able to stay open by producing near beer or other products such as flavored soda, cheese, candy bars and even snow plows. Many other businesses related to beer production were also affected.Nearly all of Milwaukee's saloons were closed down by Prohibition. In 1918, there were 1,980 saloons in Milwaukee, one per 230 residents. Prohibition was detrimental to the cultural character of the city. Not surprisingly, the end of Prohibition was marked by a number of celebrations including one on the lakefront known as the Mid-Summer Festival. It became a regular event for eight years and foreshadowed Summerfest.
After the election of 1910, the Socialists - Mayor Emil Seidel and the Common Council - raised the minimum wage and made the eight-hour day standard for city workers. The administration was praised for its compassion and efficiency, but Republicans and Democrats who were humiliated by their defeat, put all their effort into defeating the Socialists in 1912. Seidel lost the election and the Common Council lost its Socialist majority. Victor Berger lost the seat in Congress he had won in 1910. Seidel also lost in a rematch in 1914. In 1916 the Socialists nominated Dan Hoan for mayor. Hoan, who had entered Seidel's administration as city attorney in the 1910 landslide, beat the incumbent candidate, Gerhard Bading. Unlike Seidel's term, the Common Council that came in after the election wasn't overwhelmingly Socialist. Hoan's popularity had its ups and downs but he was repeatedly elected until 1940.Dan Hoan's tenure as mayor was a golden age in the city's government. His administrations were marked by honesty and efficiency. Under Dan Hoan, between 1925 and 1940, Milwaukee won a number of awards as the healthiest, safest and best policed big city in the United States.
George Walker is known as the father of Milwaukee's south side (Walker's Point). Unlike the other founding fathers, Walker didn't have access to eastern capital. Early on, Walker had a series of financial and legal troubles which resulted in his losing his claim in 1835. There is speculation that Juneau and Martin may have been behind some of Walker's troubles. The south side of Milwaukee remained undeveloped for years as ownership was tied up in legal wrangling. Walker became mayor in 1853.
Solomon Juneau came to Milwaukee from Montreal in 1818 to work as an assistant to Jacques Vieau who was the local agent for the American Fur Trading Company. A few years later, Juneau married Vieau's daughter and took over many of the older man's trading post duties. A wealthy Green Bay lawyer and businessman, Morgan Martin first saw the potential for town development on the site of Juneau's trading post. Martin convinced Juneau, who held the rights to the land on the east side of the river to join with him in a business partnership. Realizing that the days of the fur trade were nearly over, Juneau took on his new role as a real estate developer with enthusiasm. He reluctantly became the first mayor of Milwaukee in 1846.