Frank Zeidler was born September 10, 1912, in Milwaukee and died there on July 7, 2006.  His older brother, Carl, was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1940 but died in 1942 while serving in the United States Navy.  Frank Zeidler ran for Milwaukee mayor as a Socialist and served three terms from 1948 until 1960. He was believed to be the last Socialist mayor in the United States.

His program as mayor included an emphasis on civil rights and aggressive municipal annexations, both of which met with strong opposition from local interests. Although basic civil rights were not achieved until after Zeidler left office, he nearly doubled the city's size. Zeidler became a Socialist early in life and remained active in the party until his death, serving as chairman of the Socialist Party USA for many years.

He is remembered as a combination of idealist, politician, Renaissance man and maverick. He ran for president as a Socialist in 1976, established the first educational television station in Wisconsin, wrote several books and children's stories and re-wrote Shakespeare's plays in modern English. Until his death he lived in a modest north side Milwaukee home that he bought in 1946. 

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[Source: Sources: The Next American City (magazine), Winter 2007; Obituary, Washington Post, July 12, 2006Sources: "The Next American City" magazine, Winter 2007 http://americancity.org/magazine/article/frank-zeidlers-milwaukee-mccarthy/Obituary, "Washington Post," July 12, 2006 thttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071202013.html]