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Ivan A. Nestingen

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20th century American politician
Ivan A. Nestingen
United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
In office
February 7, 1961 – May 31, 1965
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byBertha Adkins
Succeeded byWilbur J. Cohen
46th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
In office
April 16, 1956 – February 7, 1961
Preceded byAlfred W. Bareis (interim)
George J. Forster (elected)
Succeeded byHarold E. Hanson (interim)
Henry Edward Reynolds (elected)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dane 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1955 – April 16, 1956
Preceded byCarl W. Thompson
Succeeded byFred Risser
Personal details
Born(1921-09-09)September 9, 1921
Sparta, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 1978(1978-04-24) (aged 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeResurrection Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse Geraldine Ann Krawczak ​ ​(m. 1952⁠–⁠1978)​
Children4
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin Law School
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Army Corps of Engineers
Years of service1943–1946
Rank1st Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Ivan Arnold Nestingen (September 9, 1921 – April 24, 1978) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Madison, Wisconsin. He served as United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson and played an important role in the design and passage of Medicare. Earlier in his career, he was the 46th mayor of Madison (1956–1961) and served part of one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1955).

Early life and education

Ivan Nestingen was born and raised in Sparta, Wisconsin. He attended public schools and went on to attend the La Crosse State Teachers College. Before completing his education, he joined the United States Army in the midst of World War II and served in the Army Corps of Engineers until 1946.

After the war, he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he earned his Ph.B. and LL.B. He began a law practice in 1949 in partnership with Robert Y. Dewa.

Political career

In 1951, he was elected to the Madison Common Council; he was re-elected in 1953. Around that time, Nestingen first began receiving statewide notoriety as a leader of the "Joe Must Go" movement—an unsuccessful attempt to recall U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy.

In 1954, a new redistricting plan for the state legislature went into effect and Dane County's Assembly delegation grew from three representatives to five. No incumbent representative lived in the new Dane County 2nd district, where Nestingen then resided. In April 1954, Nestingen declared his candidacy for the seat, running on the Democratic Party ticket. He faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination and went on to defeat county supervisor George H. Harb in the general election.

After just a year in the Assembly, Nestingen entered the race for mayor of Madison, following the resignation of the last elected mayor, George J. Forster. Two other candidates also entered the race—banker John S. Hobbins and incumbent sheriff Franz G. Haas. Hobbins topped the nonpartisan primary, but Nestingen easily surpassed Haas, winning a place on the general election ballot. After a closely contested race, Nestingen prevailed in the April general election with about 52% of the vote. Nestingen went on to win re-election as mayor in 1957 and 1959. Nestingen's most noteworthy contribution as mayor was a massive annexation campaign which saw the city grow by 60% during his two and a half terms. As mayor, he also advocated for the Frank Lloyd Wright Monona Terrace design, but the project would not reach final approval until decades after his mayoral term.

Shortly after his 1959 re-election, Nestingen began organizing support in Wisconsin for the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy officially launched his campaign for the presidency, Nestingen became chairman of his Wisconsin operation. Nestingen spent a great deal of time with Kennedy, as he campaigned extensively throughout the state in 1960. Kennedy's victory in the Wisconsin primary over Hubert Humphrey was seen as the first pivotal step in his campaign for the presidency.

Shortly after Kennedy's inauguration as president of the United States, Nestingen was appointed United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. He officially resigned the office of mayor February 7, 1961, and moved to Washington, D.C., to begin his federal service. Shortly after arriving in Washington, Nestingen began advocating for a federal program of medical coverage for older Americans. After Kennedy's death, with the support of president Lyndon B. Johnson, the concept was passed into law as Medicare.

Nestingen left the federal government shortly after Lyndon Johnson's 2nd inauguration. Nestingen was immediately courted to run for governor or lieutenant governor in 1966, but he declined to enter the race, stating instead that he would resume his legal practice. After briefly returning to Madison, Nestingen moved his law practice back to Washington, D.C., where he remained for most of the remainder of his life.

He died of a sudden heart failure at his law office in Washington on April 24, 1978.

Personal life and family

Nestingen married Geraldine Ann "Jerry" Krawczak in 1952; they had met while students at the University of Wisconsin. They had four daughters together, but one died young.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1954)

Wisconsin Assembly, Dane 2nd District Election, 1954
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1954
Democratic Ivan A. Nestingen 6,019 57.58% −6.58pp
Republican George H. Harb 4,434 42.42%
Plurality 1,585 15.16% -13.16%
Total votes 10,453 100.0% -39.35%
Democratic hold

Madison Mayor (1956, 1957, 1959)

Madison Special Mayoral Election, 1956
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Primary, March 6, 1956
Nonpartisan John S. Hobbins 10,508 44.72%
Nonpartisan Ivan A. Nestingen 6,019 36.00%
Nonpartisan Franz G. Haas 4,531 19.28%
Total votes 23,497 100.0%
General Election, April 3, 1956
Nonpartisan Ivan A. Nestingen 15,945 52.36%
Nonpartisan John S. Hobbins 14,510 47.64%
Plurality 1,435 4.71%
Total votes 30,455 100.0% +32.55%
Madison Mayoral Election, 1957
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 2, 1957
Nonpartisan Ivan A. Nestingen (incumbent) 24,735 75.63% +23.28pp
Nonpartisan A. J. Fiore 7,969 24.37%
Plurality 16,766 51.27% +46.55pp
Total votes 32,704 100.0% +7.38%

References

  1. Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1956). "Biographies". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1956 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. p. 39. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  2. "Nestingen, Dewa New Law Partners". The Capital Times. October 18, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Former Mayor Ivan Nestingen dies". Wisconsin State Journal. April 26, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Nestingen is Candidate for Dem Nomination for Assembly". The Capital Times. April 21, 1954. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1956). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1956 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. p. 752. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Hobbins and Nestingen Nominated". Wisconsin State Journal. March 7, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Nestingen Winner by 1,435". The Capital Times. April 4, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Nestingen Winner by 16,766". The Capital Times. April 3, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Election Winners". Wisconsin State Journal. April 8, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. McMillin, Miles (May 4, 1959). "Nestingen's Advantage over Kennedy". The Capital Times. p. 32. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Kennedy Defends Action on Labor Bill Here". Wisconsin State Journal. September 25, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "JFK Began Trek to Martyrdom in Wisconsin, his 'Second Home'". The Capital Times. November 23, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Nestingen Named as top Cabinet Aide". Wisconsin State Journal. January 27, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Line of Wisconsin Men Sparked Medicare Drive". The Capital Times. July 10, 1965. p. 3. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "First Things First". The Capital Times. June 14, 1965. p. 34. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded byCarl W. Thompson Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dane 2nd district
January 3, 1955 – April 16, 1956 		Succeeded byFred Risser
Political offices
Preceded byAlfred W. Bareis (interim)
George J. Forster (elected) 		Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
April 16, 1956 – February 7, 1961 		Succeeded byHarold E. Hanson (interim)
Henry Edward Reynolds (elected)
Government offices
Preceded byBertha Adkins United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
February 7, 1961 – May 31, 1965 		Succeeded byWilbur J. Cohen
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