Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Edwin Witte, 1887 1960
Edwin Witte was known as the founder of Social Security, having created the plan for it when he worked on the Committee on Economic Security under President Franklin Roosevelt. This is a biography of his life.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: John R. Commons
John R. Commons was known for his progressive views on social welfare and labor reform in the later 1800s. He is felt to be responsible for the beginning of Social Security in the United States.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Ellen Clara Sabin
Ellen Clara Sabin (1850-1949) began teaching at a young age, and went on the become one of the leaders in establishing educational institutions in Wisconsin specifically for women. She also helped establish the Wisconsin Federation of...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Thornton Wilder
A short biography of Thornton Wilder, one of America's best-known novelists and playwrights and a native of Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: John Muir
John Muir was a famous naturalist and founded the Sierra Club, now a worldwide organization.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Ringling Brothers
A short description of the Ringling Brothers, the founders of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus, which began in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Belle Case La Follette
Belle Case La Follette was married to Bob La Follette, who was elected to Congress for several terms in the late 1800s. But Belle Case La Follette was very accomplished in her own right. Well educated, a lawyer, a teacher, a journalist...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Increase Lapham
Increase Lapham was an early naturalist and engineer who catalogued many effigy mounds and native plant species of Wisconsin, along with the climate and the geology. He also drew early maps of the state. He also helped establish many...
Wisconsin Historical Society
[Archived Content]wisconsin Historical Society: Paul Bunyan
Many legends live on in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) about Paul Bunyan, a giant of a lumberjack and a folk hero. This article describes how the legends have survived and grown.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Shu'nuni'u (Souligny) (1783 1867)
Chief Shu'nuni'u (1783-1867), known best as Souligny, led the Menominee of Wisconsin for close to fifty years. He sided with the British during hostilities and was instrumental in standing up for his people during negotiations for the...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Nicolas Perrot
Nicolas Perrot arrived in Wisconsin in the 1600s as a fur trader and an explorer, claiming much of the land for France. He established trading posts along the Mississippi and strengthened the French position against the Iroquois. A link...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Goodell, Rhoda Lavinia 1839 1880
Lavinia Goodell was the first female lawyer in Wisconsin, having pursued this goal tirelessly. She was hired by women's rights groups to fight for their causes.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Dickey Chapelle
Dickey Chapelle worked in World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War as a photojournalist, one of the first women to do this. She led an unconventional life and took many risks. This is a short biography of her life.