Joseph D. Beck

Joseph D. Beck
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 7th district
In office
March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1929
Preceded byJohn J. Esch
Succeeded byMerlin Hull
Chairman of the Wisconsin Industrial Commission
In office
September 1915 – July 1917
Preceded byCharles H. Crownhart
Succeeded byGeorge Hambrecht
5th Commissioner of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor Statistics
In office
June 1905 – July 1, 1911
Appointed byRobert M. La Follette
Preceded byHalford Erickson
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1866-03-14)March 14, 1866
Webster, Vernon County, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 1936(1936-11-08) (aged 70)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeViroqua Cemetery, Viroqua, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Sarah Jane Peavy
(m. 1888⁠–⁠1936)
Children
  • Lori Alexander Beck
  • (b. 1890; died 1893)
  • Maud Ethel Beck
  • (b. 1891; died 1891)
Education
OccupationFarmer, politician

Joseph David Beck (March 14, 1866 – November 8, 1936) was an American farmer, labor reform advocate, and progressive Republican politician from Vernon County, Wisconsin. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 7th congressional district from 1921 to 1929. He was a close ally of Wisconsin governor and U.S. senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette. Working for La Follette's administration earlier in his career, Beck contributed significantly to the crafting of Wisconsin's worker's compensation laws through his work on the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. He was then one of the initial appointees to the Wisconsin Industrial Commission (serving from 1911 through 1917) and was chairman of the commission from 1915 through 1917.

His name was often abbreviated J. D. Beck. Throughout his life, he was also sometimes incorrectly referred to as "John D. Beck". Due to his role in the Industrial Commission, he was the editor for the Wisconsin Blue Book for 1907, 1909, and 1911.