Socialist party official, politician, b. town of Greenfield, Milwaukee County. He was the son of Frederick Melms. Leaving school at the 7th grade, he worked in factories for 17 years. In 1897 he joined the Milwaukee branch of the newly formed Social Democratic Party of America (later the Socialist party). About 1902 he began 25 years of party service as city and county secretary and organizer. In 1904 he perfected the famed "Bundle brigade," often given major credit for the party's increasing success in municipal elections. Under this method members were organized so that weekly distribution of campaign literature in several languages could be made to every household in the county within a few hours. Personable and popular, Melms developed a broad program of membership activities, both political and social. He was employed as a writer on the Social Democratic Herald and Milwaukee Leader, Socialist organs of Victor Berger's (q.v.) Social Democratic Publishing Co., and was an officer of this firm. He was one of nine Socialists elected to the Common Council in 1904, and served eight years as president of the council with a party majority. In 1911 he fathered the city's Sane Fourth of July celebration. From 1915 to 1917 he served as sheriff. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress from the 4th district in 1918, 1922, and 1926. Milwaukee Leader, Jan. 6, 1933; F. I. Olson, "Milwaukee Socialists, 1897-1941" [Ph.D. thesis, Harvard Univ., 1952, microfilm on file at State Hist. Soc. Wis.].Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
