Ed Garvey, Wisconsin progressive and labor attorney, has died

Ed Garvey never gave up.

The nationally known labor attorney battled pro football owners, ran for public office and carried on a tradition as a proud Wisconsin progressive. There were losses along the way, but like his political idol "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr., Garvey kept moving forward.

"Ed was a guy who really believed in certain principles," said Garvey's former law partner Glenn Stoddard. "I think his philosophy wasn't about the short term. It was about the longer term. Sometimes you lose but you come back."

Garvey died early Wednesday at a Verona nursing home where he had been living for the last two weeks. He was 76. He had been battling Parkinson's disease, which led to his retirement in 2013.

The news of Garvey's death was first reported by Dave Zweifel, a longtime Garvey friend and editor emeritus of The Capital Times.

"I have known Ed Garvey for many years," said state Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson. "He has exhibited courage throughout his career. His passing leaves a big hole in the legal profession and in the hearts of the many people he has helped over the years."

Attorney and activist, Garvey had an impact on sports and politics.

He was the first executive director of the National Football League Players Association and led the players through two strikes in 1974 and 1982.

"Ed brought a professionalism and a structure to the NFLPA. And he was a fighter," said Mark Murphy, president and chief executive officer of the Green Bay Packers.

Murphy, a union representative while a player with the Washington Redskins, said Garvey was not liked by NFL management.

"He fought them on everything," he said."To me, he laid the groundwork for what the players have now."

On a personal level, Murphy said Garvey "was so smart. He had a way of making everything fun. I owe a lot to him."

In 1986, Garvey lost a bitter U.S. Senate race against Republican Bob Kasten. In 1998, he ran against Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and lost by a wide margin.

During the race against Thompson, Garvey and Barbara Lawton, the candidate for lieutenant governor, barnstormed across the state in recreational vehicles they dubbed "Underdog 1" and "Underdog 2." Running against the influence of money in politics, they set a cap on contributions.

"One of the things I think is important to know is Ed was a fiery Irishman," Lawton said. "I wasn't raised around stereotypes and didn't know what that meant until I could see that this was Ed Garvey. 'Is this a private fight, or can anyone join?' Boom, he was right in the middle of it."

Thompson saluted Garvey as "a fighter, an unrelenting progressive and Democrat, and a tireless champion of the little guy."

After he gave up running for office, Garvey concentrated on political organizing. He founded the annual progressive political event known as Fighting Bob Fest, and ran a web site, FightingBob.com, that featured progressive political content and his daily blog.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, connected with the crowds at Fighting Bob Fest.

"Ed was one of the smartest, funniest and most decent people I have ever known," Sanders said in an email to the Journal Sentinel. "I first got to know him decades ago when he came to Vermont to help us try and save good paying union railroad jobs. His idea to create the Fighting Bob Fest was fantastic, as it brought progressives from all walks of life together to plot and plan for the future.  It has become a model for the country for good progressive organizing."

"For me, coming to the Fighting Bob Fest was an opportunity not only to visit Wisconsin but to stay with Ed and Betty in their home, and meet with their beautiful family and friends," Sanders said. "Ed Garvey will be sorely missed, but not forgotten. He was an inspiration to many of us."

Born in Burlington, Garvey received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also served two years in the U.S. Army.

In recent years, as Garvey fought illness, Lawton said she and Zweifel visited him regularly. Although he lost the capacity to do some of the things he loved most — playing golf, speaking in public and engaging in political organizing — Lawton said Garvey lived his life with "such grace."

"He was candid and frank with us," she said. "Ed never initiated a complaint about his illness. You had to ask to get to know the real story."

Funeral arrangements are pending.