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Summary
Robert M. La Follette House
733 Lakewood Boulevard, Maple Bluff, Dane County
Architect: unknown
Date of Construction: c. 1849
Wisconsin governor Robert M. La Follette and his wife Belle moved from downtown Madison in 1905 to rural Maple Bluff near Madison's east side. They resided in a two-story, brick house on a 60-acre farm for the last twenty years of La Follette's life. The house remained in the La Follette family for three generations.
Robert M. La Follette was a prominent State and National political figure. He practiced law in Madison until he was elected to Congress, where he remained until his defeat in 1890. He went back to law while staying in state politics. He became a progressive leader in the Republican Party. In 1900, La Follette was elected governor of Wisconsin. He developed progressive ideas for the state that made Wisconsin a national leader in reform politics such as the "Wisconsin Idea" and curbing the political power of special interest groups.
The year he moved to Maple Bluff he was elected to the United States Senate. While serving four terms as senator, La Follette fought hard to combat conservatism. He broke from the Republican Party in 1924 to form a new Progressive Party. It was through the support of many labor groups and the Socialist Party that La Follette accepted the 1924 presidential nomination, carrying one-sixth the popular vote. The very next year he died in Washington, D.C. of heart disease.
The house is a privately owned; please respect the privacy rights of the owners.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
NR1840
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Belle Case La Follette and Irvine Lenroot
1906
Irvine Lenroot, a leader in the La Follette-Progressive wing of the Republican Party in Wisconsin, with Belle Case La Follette and Mary La Follette at Maple Bluff Farm. This snapshot was taken in ...
Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
March 1946
Informal portrait of Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., perhaps taken in the library at Maple Bluff Farm. Following his father's death in 1925 Bob Jr. was elected to the Senate. He continued to s...
Bob Jr., and Bob III
1930
Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., on the porch at Maple Bluff Farm with his wife and two of his brother's children, Judy and Robert M. La Follette, III. La Follette was elected to the Senate foll...
Senator and Mrs. Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
September 30, 1930
Portrait of Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., and his wife Rachael Young La Follette in the library at Maple Bluff Farm. This photograph was taken during the year of their marriage. "Young Bob,"...
Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Casts His Vote
1924
Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr., a third-party presidential candidate, prepares to drop his ballot into the ballot box. In line behind him are (left to right) his sons, Philip F. La Follette an...
