Victor Louis Berger (1860-1929) was the first Socialist elected to the U.S. Congress. A principal founder of the Socialist Party of America, he remained one of its most important figures until his death.

Victor Berger was born in Nieder-Rehbach, Austria-Hungary, on Feb. 28, 1860. His parents were prosperous innkeepers. Berger attended the universities in Vienna and Budapest. At the age of 18 he emigrated to Bridgeport, Conn., where he worked at a variety of jobs. In 1881 he became a teacher in the largely German-speaking city of Milwaukee, Wis.

Berger was active in Milwaukee politics almost from the beginning. The Germans of the city mixed old-country social-democratic politics with their athletic and social club activities, and Berger was suspended from his job once because of his radical ideas. Shortly after marrying in 1897, Berger abandoned teaching and became founder and editor of the Wisconsin Vorwärts, a German-language daily newspaper. Although...