Edward R. Garvey (born in Burlington, Wisconsin) is a lawyer, politician and activist.
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Edward Garvey graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and spent two years in the U.S. Army; he then returned to the University of Wisconsin Law School and earned a law degree.
Soon after graduation, Garvey joined Lindquist and Vennum, a Minneapolis law firm. The firm worked for the National Football League's players' union, and in 1970 Garvey was assigned to counsel union president John Mackey regarding negotiations on a new four year contract with the league's owners. Garvey was later offered the position of executive director in the reorganized union, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in 1971. Garvey served as its executive director until 1983, through two strikes (in 1974 and 1982) and frequently invoking antitrust legislation in his many court battles with the league. Garvey directed the NFLPA though a series of court battles that led, in 1975, to the ruling in Mackey v. NFL that antitrust laws applied to the NFL's restrictions on player movement. In 1976, armed with leverage regarding player movement from team to team, Garvey and the union won major concessions from the owners. Garvey's negotiations with the league exchanged the players' threat of pursuing a system of unfettered free agency for an improved package of player benefits. The NFLPA became recognized by the owners as a full-fledged National Labor Relations Board union, and damages totalling $13.65 million were awarded to past and present players for antitrust violations against them.
After leaving the NFLPA, Garvey served as deputy attorney general in Wisconsin under Bronson La Follette, specializing in environmental issues. Garvey also became a prominent leader with Wisconsin labor groups, particularly the Paperworkers Union (now United Steelworkers) in contract disputes with International Paper.
Garvey is the editor and publisher of the political website FightingBob.com, focusing on Wisconsin and national issues from a center-left perspective. He regularly appears on the local NPR national public radio affiliate WHAD to provide a progressive viewpoint on a variety of topics. Garvey continues to be a defining voice in Wisconsin politics and is popular in reform circles.
In 1986, Garvey ran for the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin, losing to Republican incumbent Bob Kasten. In an unsuccessful bid for Wisconsin governor in 1998 against three-term incumbent Tommy G. Thompson, Garvey sought to highlight campaign finance reform and limited contributions to his campaign to a fixed amount per donor.
Currently, Garvey is active in his private law practice in Madison, Wisconsin.
| Preceded by None |
NFLPA Executive Director January 1971-June 13, 1983 |
Succeeded by Gene Upshaw |