Why Is Minnesota's Democratic Party Called the Dem. Farmer Labor Party?

[displacedyankeedem]

Just wondering. A merger of the Democratic Party with another, more populist party backin the 1920s?

[liberalpragmatist]

1. Exactly

The 1940s actually.

In both Minnesota and Wisconsin in the 20s, 30s and 40s, strong 3rd-parties arose that thoroughly dominated state politics. The Progressive Party in Wisconsin and the Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota.

I don't know what happened to the Progressive Party. But the Farmer-Labor Party saw its support decline following the end of the depression. The left was split, so Hubert Humphrey and others in the Democratic Party of Minnesota managed to get the two to merge. Hence, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party or DFL.

[htuttle]

2. Farm-Labor Party was a very popular party in the Upper Midwest

In Minnesota, I think it eventually merged with the Democratic Party. I think it still runs in Wisconsin -- or at least it did in the 90's. A lot of people I know who used to be in the WI Farm-Labor party are now in the WI Greens, or subsets of the WI Democratic Party, like Progressive Dane.

It was economically populist, socially neutral/tending towards liberal.

[riverwalker]

3. DFL

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) was created on April 15, 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and Farmer-Labor Party merged to create the DFL. Hubert H. Humphrey was instrumental in this merger. The party is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

In 1954 Orville Freeman was elected the state's first DFL governor. Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who each served as United States Senator and Vice President of the United States were important members the party.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. It's older than that, and has an interesting, radical past.

The movement got started as early as 1910. A coalition of reformers and radicals formed the "Farmer-Labor Party," which was independent of both Republicans and Democrats. In 1924 the name changed to the Farmer-Labor Federation, and later to the Farmer-Labor Association. In 1943, the Farmer-Labor Party merged with the Democratic Party to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party of Minnesota. It's still pretty progressive for the most part (Wellstone), though we have been fighting some uphill battles lately.

[henslee]

5. I like it. I picture Wilford Brimley types w/dirty fingernails & ovealls.