Milwaukee Alderman At Large Badges

Alderman At Large Badges
“Alderman At Large” sounds more like a warning than what it really was, an attempt to prevent political graft and corruption in the wards of Milwaukee. When Milwaukee was incorporated as a city with wards, the system used was a copy of Chicago’s city government. Milwaukee aldermen had a lot of power. Aldermen were responsible for street maintenance. They could levy and collect special taxes for street, river and harbor improvements. They could borrow money and issue bonds for street works, sewers, side walks and other improvements in their wards. They could also condemn property. Both aldermen from a ward needed to be in agreement before a project could be brought before the Common Council for funding. As a result graft and corruption was growing. The Alderman At Large position was created to fight the growing threat. From 1908-1922 a total of 43 men were elected as Alderman At Large by a plurality of the vote in addition to the normal aldermen of each ward. From 1908-22, if an alderman from any ward wanted something done he needed one alderman at large to be in agreement with him before he could bring it to the common council. It was thought that since the Aldermen At Large represented the entire city and not just a ward they would be much less likely to succumb to temptation or be pressured by local interests. For what ever reason the system only lasted 14 years. From that short time span two badge types remain. Both are 10 k gold, ball tipped five point stars with blue enamel lettering made by the Edward H. Warnke Jewelry Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee. Each badge is 41.3mm across by 47.2mm top to bottom. Type 1 weighs 6.53 grams and type 2 weighs 5.94 grams. Each badge has the alderman’s name engraved on the back along with counter marks at 4 and 8 o’clock “SOLID GOLD” and “E.H.W. CO.“ The front of type 1 has “AT” above “LARGE” in the center while the type 2 badge has “AT LARGE” across the center.
Alderman At Large badge type 1 is named to “Thomas J Casey” (1910-1914) “314 19th Street” who filled Victor Berger’s remaining term. Berger was the famous Milwaukee Socialist Congressman who opposed the U.S.’s involvement in WWI.

Type 2 is named to “Charles Friedrich (1914-1918) .