He held various political positions in Wisconsin. He served with
Robert M. La Follette, Sr. as chairman of the Milwaukee County Convention, before disagreeing with him over railroad oversight. A conservative
Republican, he wrote, with the help of Edgar Werlock,
Political Reform in Wisconsin: A Historical Review of the Subjects of Primary Election, Taxation and Railway Regulation (1910).
Governorship of Wisconsin In 1914, Philipp was nominated for
Governor of Wisconsin, and first won the
1914 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. He would go on to be reelected twice, and served as the 23rd Governor of Wisconsin from 1915 to 1921. During the First World War he was accused of holding divided loyalty's between the
United States and the
German Empire by his political opposition. Under his governorship during the war Wisconsin would see the rise of an anti-
German American faction, typically referred to as "
hyper patriots". He would go on and be successful in combating violent
anti-German hysteria in the state. After leaving office, he returned to his business pursuits. He operated two
model farms and was regent of
Marquette University. ==Death==