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Ivan A. Nestingen
Ivan A. Nestingen
United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
	In office; February 7, 1961 – May 31, 1965
President	John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Bertha Adkins
Succeeded by	Wilbur J. Cohen
46th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
	In office; April 16, 1956 – February 7, 1961
Preceded by	Alfred W. Bareis (interim); George J. Forster (elected)
Succeeded by	Harold E. Hanson (interim); Henry Edward Reynolds (elected)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly; from the Dane 2nd district
	In office; January 3, 1955 – April 16, 1956
Preceded by	Carl W. Thompson
Succeeded by	Fred Risser
Personal details
Born	September 9, 1921; Sparta, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	April 24, 1978 (aged 56); Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Resurrection Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Geraldine Ann Krawczak (m. 1952⁠–⁠1978)
Children	4
Education	University of Wisconsin Law School
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army; Army Corps of Engineers
Years of service	1943–1946
Rank	1st Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II

Ivan Arnold Nestingen (September 9, 1921 – April 24, 1978) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Madison, Wisconsin. He served as United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson and played an important role in the design and passage of Medicare. Earlier in his career, he was the 46th mayor of Madison (1956–1961) and served part of one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1955).

Early life and education

Ivan Nestingen was born and raised in Sparta, Wisconsin. He attended public schools and went on to attend the La Crosse State Teachers College. Before completing his education, he joined the United States Army in the midst of World War II and served in the Army Corps of Engineers until 1946.^[1]

After the war, he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he earned his Ph.B. and LL.B. He began a law practice in 1949 in partnership with Robert Y. Dewa.^[2]

Political career

In 1951, he was elected to the Madison Common Council; he was re-elected in 1953. Around that time, Nestingen first began receiving statewide notoriety as a leader of the "Joe Must Go" movement—an unsuccessful attempt to recall U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy.^[3]

In 1954, a new redistricting plan for the state legislature went into effect and Dane County's Assembly delegation grew from three representatives to five. No incumbent representative lived in the new Dane County 2nd district, where Nestingen then resided. In April 1954, Nestingen declared his candidacy for the seat, running on the Democratic Party ticket.^[4] He faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination and went on to defeat county supervisor George H. Harb in the general election.^[5]

After just a year in the Assembly, Nestingen entered the race for mayor of Madison, following the resignation of the last elected mayor, George J. Forster. Two other candidates also entered the race—banker John S. Hobbins and incumbent sheriff Franz G. Haas. Hobbins topped the nonpartisan primary, but Nestingen easily surpassed Haas, winning a place on the general election ballot.^[6] After a closely contested race, Nestingen prevailed in the April general election with about 52% of the vote.^[7] Nestingen went on to win re-election as mayor in 1957 and 1959.^[8]^[9] Nestingen's most noteworthy contribution as mayor was a massive annexation campaign which saw the city grow by 60% during his two and a half terms. As mayor, he also advocated for the Frank Lloyd Wright Monona Terrace design, but the project would not reach final approval until decades after his mayoral term.^[3]

Shortly after his 1959 re-election, Nestingen began organizing support in Wisconsin for the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy.^[10] When Kennedy officially launched his campaign for the presidency, Nestingen became chairman of his Wisconsin operation.^[11] Nestingen spent a great deal of time with Kennedy, as he campaigned extensively throughout the state in 1960. Kennedy's victory in the Wisconsin primary over Hubert Humphrey was seen as the first pivotal step in his campaign for the presidency.^[12]

Shortly after Kennedy's inauguration as president of the United States, Nestingen was appointed United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. He officially resigned the office of mayor February 7, 1961, and moved to Washington, D.C., to begin his federal service.^[13] Shortly after arriving in Washington, Nestingen began advocating for a federal program of medical coverage for older Americans. After Kennedy's death, with the support of president Lyndon B. Johnson, the concept was passed into law as Medicare.^[14]

Nestingen left the federal government shortly after Lyndon Johnson's 2nd inauguration. Nestingen was immediately courted to run for governor or lieutenant governor in 1966, but he declined to enter the race, stating instead that he would resume his legal practice.^[15] After briefly returning to Madison, Nestingen moved his law practice back to Washington, D.C., where he remained for most of the remainder of his life.

He died of a sudden heart failure at his law office in Washington on April 24, 1978.^[3]

Personal life and family

Nestingen married Geraldine Ann "Jerry" Krawczak in 1952; they had met while students at the University of Wisconsin. They had four daughters together, but one died young.^[3]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1954)

Wisconsin Assembly, Dane 2nd District Election, 1954^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1954
	Democratic	Ivan A. Nestingen	6,019	57.58%	−6.58pp
	Republican	George H. Harb	4,434	42.42%
Plurality			1,585	15.16%	-13.16%
Total votes			10,453	100.0%	-39.35%
	Democratic hold

Madison Mayor (1956, 1957, 1959)

Madison Special Mayoral Election, 1956^[6]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Nonpartisan Primary, March 6, 1956
	Nonpartisan	John S. Hobbins	10,508	44.72%
	Nonpartisan	Ivan A. Nestingen	6,019	36.00%
	Nonpartisan	Franz G. Haas	4,531	19.28%
Total votes			23,497	100.0%
General Election, April 3, 1956
	Nonpartisan	Ivan A. Nestingen	15,945	52.36%
	Nonpartisan	John S. Hobbins	14,510	47.64%
Plurality			1,435	4.71%
Total votes			30,455	100.0%	+32.55%

Madison Mayoral Election, 1957^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 2, 1957
	Nonpartisan	Ivan A. Nestingen (incumbent)	24,735	75.63%	+23.28pp
	Nonpartisan	A. J. Fiore	7,969	24.37%
Plurality			16,766	51.27%	+46.55pp
Total votes			32,704	100.0%	+7.38%

References

^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1956). "Biographies". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1956 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. p. 39. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ "Nestingen, Dewa New Law Partners". The Capital Times. October 18, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Former Mayor Ivan Nestingen dies". Wisconsin State Journal. April 26, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Nestingen is Candidate for Dem Nomination for Assembly". The Capital Times. April 21, 1954. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1956). "Parties and Elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1956 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. p. 752. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Hobbins and Nestingen Nominated". Wisconsin State Journal. March 7, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Nestingen Winner by 1,435". The Capital Times. April 4, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Nestingen Winner by 16,766". The Capital Times. April 3, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Election Winners". Wisconsin State Journal. April 8, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ McMillin, Miles (May 4, 1959). "Nestingen's Advantage over Kennedy". The Capital Times. p. 32. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Kennedy Defends Action on Labor Bill Here". Wisconsin State Journal. September 25, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "JFK Began Trek to Martyrdom in Wisconsin, his 'Second Home'". The Capital Times. November 23, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Nestingen Named as top Cabinet Aide". Wisconsin State Journal. January 27, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Line of Wisconsin Men Sparked Medicare Drive". The Capital Times. July 10, 1965. p. 3. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "First Things First". The Capital Times. June 14, 1965. p. 34. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Ivan A. Nestingen at The Political Graveyard

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Carl W. Thompson	Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dane 2nd district January 3, 1955 – April 16, 1956	Succeeded by Fred Risser
Political offices
Preceded by Alfred W. Bareis (interim) George J. Forster (elected)	Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin April 16, 1956 – February 7, 1961	Succeeded by Harold E. Hanson (interim) Henry Edward Reynolds (elected)
Government offices
Preceded by Bertha Adkins	United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare February 7, 1961 – May 31, 1965	Succeeded by Wilbur J. Cohen