Solomon Levitan

Solomon Levitan (November 1, 1862 – February 27, 1940) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the treasurer of the state of Wisconsin from 1923 to 1936. Following this he was appointed to serve as the head of the newly formed Wisconsin Finance Authority by governor Philip La Follette.

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Early life
Levitan was born in Tauroggen, East Prussia in 1862. During his youth he studied at several rabbinical schools, and as a young man went to live in Crimea. In 1880 an antisemitic pogrom erupted in the area, and according to his own retelling of events, Levitan was rewarded with a ticket to America for saving the life of his employer. Arriving in the United States the same year, he worked as a peddler among the German-language groups in the east coast. In 1881 he moved to Wisconsin and worked as a peddler in the area around New Glarus. By 1887 he had accumulated enough money to open a store in the town and later opened stores in Belleville and Blanchardville. In 1905 he moved to Madison and opened a dry-goods store.

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Early Career
During the early 1900s, he was one of the organizers of the Commercial National Bank of Madison, which was founded in 1908. In 1909 he was selected to serve as the bank's vice-president and served in that role until 1914, when he was selected to be president of the CNBM from 1914-1927. In 1927, Levitan became chairman of the bank's board and served in that role until his death. In 1933, the bank was reorganized as the Commercial State Bank.

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State Treasury
Not long after arriving in Wisconsin, Levitan met Robert M. La Follette Sr. and formed a strong attachment to progressive ideals and was a strong supporter of La Follette leading the movement. Despite failing to be elected in 1918 and 1920, Levitan successfully was elected to serve as State Treasurer in 1922, serving in that office from 1923 until his resignation in 1936. During his tenure, the office was known for the stable and prosperous economy in the state, honesty of its officials, and efficiency of its work. Despite these factors, much of Levitan's popularity drew from his personality. He loved the spotlight political prominence gave him and, alongside that, was good at communicating with members of the public, never missing an opportunity to speak to an audience. Blending a warm interest and sympathy for his fellow man with the folksy and humorous aspects of his Jewish accent and heritage, "Uncle Sol" built a personal popularity in the state that was second only to that of the La Follette family.

Wisconsin Finance Authority
Following the passage of the Wisconsin Works Bill in 1935, Philip La Follette needed people to lead the organizations being formed through the bill, the most important organization, the Wisconsin Finance Authority, would serve as the means to fund any and all projects which emerged from the legislation. Due to Levitan's expertise and work in the Treasury Department, La Follette personally requested he take the appointment and serve as the inaugural head of the WFA.

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