Background
Meta Schlichting was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 23, 1873.
Meta Schlichting was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 23, 1873.
She was educated at the Wisconsin State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee).
Early years She taught primary school for three years before resigning in 1897 to marry Victor Political career In 1909, Berger was elected to the Milwaukee school board. As a school board member, she supported progressive measures such as the construction of playgrounds, "penny lunches" and medical exams for children. She also advocated on behalf of teachers, working for tenure, a fixed-salary schedule and a pension system.
In 1917, Berger joined the Milwaukee Emergency Peace Committee, a group that tried to prevent United States. Navy recruiters from targeting schoolchildren.
Her work for the school board led to her appointments to the Wisconsin State Board of Education, the Wisconsin Board of Regents of Normal Schools and University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. The Bergers spent much of the 1920s traveling in Asia and Germany.
After Victor"s death in 1929, Berger"s relationship with the Socialist Party grew strained, and she resigned in 1940. Death and legacy She died at her Thiensville farm on June 16, 1944.
She is interred in Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee.
She was also the wife of the prominent democratic socialist politician Victor L. Berger.