Amlie was born on a farm near Binford, North Dakota. During his youth, Amlie went to the high school in Cooperstown, North Dakota.[1] Following his graduation he then went on to attend and then to the University of North Dakota from 1916-1918, after which he spent a short period of time in the United States Army.[2] Following his return, he then attended the University of Minnesota for a year, but became disinterested in pursuing a career in teaching sociology and economics and began organizing for the Nonpartisan League.[2]
After a short period of organizing for the League in Wisconsin, Amlie then enrolled in the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he received his law degree in 1923, being admitted to the bar that same year.[3] After receiving his degree, Amlie began practicing law in Beloit, Wisconsin, where he helped established the firm Fiedler, Garrigan, and Amlie.[1] Three years later, he moved to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, which became his permanent residence.[2]
Amlie made his first run for U.S. House of Representatives in the 1931 special election, called following the death of long-time representative Henry Allen Cooper, who had represented his district nearly continously from 1893 until his death. Cooper had represented Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, comprising roughly the southeast corner of the state. Amlie faced a crowded primary against state representative state senator George W. Blanchard, Edward F. Hilker, and two other candidates. Amlie ultimately came out on top, defeating Blanchard by a margin of 1,332 votes.[5]
In the lead up to the primary election, Amlie and Blanchard had garnered the backing of the progressives and stalwarts of the Republican Party respectively, with Blanchard even gaining the backing of the 1st district Republicans at their convention.[6] In the primary election, Amlie and Blanchard were the only two Republicans to run. Blanchard won a narrow victory, defeating Amlie with 51.75% of the vote.[7]
Progressive Party politics (1933–1934)
In 1933, Amlie had helped form the Farmer-Labor-Progressive League.[8]: 148
By 1934, the Great Depression had caused a sharp decline of conditions in Wisconsin, and this decline, alongside a resurgence of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, forced Progressive Republicans to seek new avenues to power. The first major figure calling for progressives to split from the Republican Party was Amlie. Amlie was one of the most radical Republicans to have prominence within the party, and he "firmly believed that capitalism itself was dying and that Roosevelt could at most postpone the inevitable."[8]: 148 Amlie was also a proponent of the Frontier Thesis and believed that the existence of the Frontier allowed Americans to escape hard times by escaping to available lands.[8]: 148
One of Amlie's major goals was the formation of a regional left wing third party, a party that would unite rural and urban producers that could influence national policy.[8]: 148–149 To this end, he began working with former governor Philip La Follette on forming a third party, and believed that under La Follette's leadership, the new party would take a leftward direction.[8]: 150 Despite supporting these efforts, Amlie and his radical allies were blocked by Phil and William T. Evjue, the editor of the Madison-based Capital Times.[8]: 153
Separately from the La Follette led party, Amlie, alongside Appleton attorney Sam Sigman, former U.S. representative George Schneider, and former state senator Anton M. Miller, established the Farmer-Labor-Progressive League (FLPL), which would develop a platform and endorse candidates in election, all of which the Progressive Party had yet done. Unintentionally, this new organization had the potential to upset the plans La Follette had been creating for the party. Fortunately, after La Follette spoke at the FLPL convention, the League decided to support his party.[8]: 153–155
By the end of July, 1934, Amlie had demurred on a gubernatorial bid both for financial reasons,but also because he felt La Follette would be the best candidate to lead the Progressive ticket. While he would not run for governor, Amlie began a run for his old congressional seat.
Return to Congress (1935–1939)
Wisconsin's 1st congressional district 1932–1963
From 1936, Amlie and other Progressives were informally allied with the New Deal coalition and supported the reelection of President Franklin Roosevelt.[9] Amlie had abandoned his hopes for a third party around this time for a similar reason that other progressives had, as he realized that "liberal reform would have to come via a Roosevelt-led Democratic Party."[8]: 205
In 1938, Amlie joined Democrats Jerry Voorhis and Robert Allen in sponsoring the Industrial Expansion Bill, which would have created a planned economy in the United States.[2]
In 1938, Amlie declined to run for re-election, instead seeking to challenge Senator F. Ryan Duffy in the senate election that year, but was defeated in the Progressive primary by Herman Ekern, the incumbent lieutenant governor, by 7 points. The primary would prove to be a bitter contest, as it reopened old divides in the Progressive Party between allies of La Follette and younger radicals. The divide also symbolized a split between the supporters of Robert M. La Follette and younger progressives who had emerged from the various farmer-labor organizations.[8]: 219 During the primary, Ekern had garnered the private support of Philip and Robert La Follette Jr., while Amlie had gained the endorsement of Milwakee Mayor Daniel Hoan.[8]: 219 Amlie would later blame his defeat on Evjue, The Capital Times, and even the Wisconsin Progressive Party itself.[2]
After Congress
After Amlie left Congress in 1939, Roosevelt nominated him to the Interstate Commerce Commission, but Amlie asked that the nomination be withdrawn.[13]
Roosevelt eventually appointed Amlie as special assistant United States attorney in the Federal Land Commission office in Milwaukee. He eventually resigned this position to run for congress once again in 1941.[2]
By 1940, Amlie had joined the Democratic Party as a "Roosevelt Democrat".[8]: 231 Additionally, he supported other progressives leaving the third party and joining him within the Democratic Party.[2] It was under this party that he ran in a special election that year for his old seat. He defeated Bernard Magruder by a wide margin in the primary election. In the general election, Amlie ran on supporting Roosevelt's domestic and foreign policy.[8]: 238 He was defeated by a wide margin by Lawrence H. Smith.[2]
Amlie later would run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and U.S. House, from Wisconsin's 2nd district, but would never again hold elected office.[2]
Returning from Washington DC, Amlie resumed the practice of law in Madison, Wisconsin, where he resided until his death.[14]
Personal life and family
Amlie was married twice throughout his life. He first was married in 1925, to Marian Caldwell Strong, who had died in 1930. Two years later, he married Gehrta Farkasch Beyer, who he remained married with until his death. Amlie also had 5 children, four sons and one daughter.[2] He died on August 22, 1973, his remains were cremated and interred at the Sunset Memory Gardens, In the Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin.[3]
