PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Politicians in Advertising and Public Relations in Illinois

  Thomas Edward Austin (1901-1965) — also known as T. Edward Austin — of Effingham, Effingham County, Ill. Born in Effingham, Effingham County, Ill., May 21, 1901. Republican. Investment banker; outdoor advertising business; candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 23rd District, 1932; chair of Effingham County Republican Party, 1944-50. Member, Elks; Moose. Died, in a hospital at Effingham, Effingham County, Ill., April 21, 1965 (age 63 years, 335 days). Interment at Oakridge Cemetery, Effingham, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of William Winter Austin and Mamie (Wade) Austin; married to Frances Vivian Crews.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  María Concepcíon Bechily (b. 1949) — also known as María C. Bechily — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, February 20, 1949. Democrat. Social worker; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980; staff assistant to U.S. Sen. Alan J. Dixon, 1981-83; host and assistant producer, WSNS television, Chicago, 1984-85; public relations business. Female. Cuban ancestry. Still living as of 1985.
  Relatives: Daughter of Antonio Bechily and Concepcion Bechily; married, October 8, 1982, to Scott Hodes.
  William Haydon Burns (1912-1987) — also known as Haydon Burns — of Jacksonville, Duval County, Fla. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., March 17, 1912. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; public relations business; mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., 1949-65; Governor of Florida, 1965-67; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1968. Methodist. Member, Phi Sigma Kappa; Sigma Phi Epsilon; Alpha Kappa Psi; Freemasons; Shriners; Elks; Moose; Knights of Pythias; Kiwanis. Died November 22, 1987 (age 75 years, 250 days). Interment somewhere in Jacksonville, Fla.
  See also National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Thomas Cusack (1858-1926) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland, October 5, 1858. Democrat. Sign painter; advertising business; U.S. Representative from Illinois 4th District, 1899-1901; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1908. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., November 19, 1926 (age 68 years, 45 days). Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of John Cusack and Dehlia (McMahon) Cusack; married, July 10, 1895, to Mary E. Greene.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Einar W. Dieserud (b. 1892) — of Washington, D.C. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., October 25, 1892. Stenographer; advertising business; U.S. Vice Consul in Christiania, 1917-18. Burial location unknown.
  John Anson Ford (1883-1983) — of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Waukegan, Lake County, Ill., 1883. Democrat. Newspaper reporter; advertising business; chair of Los Angeles County Democratic Party, 1937-38; candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, Calif., 1937; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1940, 1948, 1952, 1956; candidate for U.S. Senator from California, 1940; candidate for Presidential Elector for California. Member, Sigma Chi; Delta Sigma Rho. Died in 1983 (age about 100 years). Cremated; ashes interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif.
  Relatives: Married to Lois Goldsmith.
  Epitaph: "Public Servant - Humanitarian."
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Julius Klein (1901-1984) — also known as "Dutch" — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., September 5, 1901. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; newspaper reporter; candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large, 1932; general in the U.S. Army during World War II; public relations business; lobbyist; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952, 1960; candidate for U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1954. Jewish. Member, Jewish War Veterans. Died, in the Great Lakes Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Lake County, Ill., April 6, 1984 (age 82 years, 214 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married to Helene von Holstein.
  Albert Davis Lasker (1880-1952) — also known as Albert D. Lasker; "The Father of Modern Advertising" — of Lake Forest, Lake County, Ill.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born, of American parents, in Freiburg (Freiburg im Breisgau), Germany, May 1, 1880. Republican. Advertising business; member, U.S. Shipping Board, 1921-23; resigned 1923; chair, U.S. Shipping Board, 1921-23; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1936, 1940; University of Illinois trustee, 1937-42. Jewish. German ancestry. Member, American Jewish Committee. As part owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, devised "Lasker Plan" for reorganization of baseball, 1920. Established the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation for promotion of medical research. Died, of cancer, in the Harkness Pavilion of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Manhattan, New York County, N.Y., May 30, 1952 (age 72 years, 29 days). Entombed at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
  Relatives: Son of Morris Lasker and Nettie (Davis) Lasker; married 1902 to Flora Warner; married 1938 to Doris Kenyon; married, June 21, 1940, to Mary (Woodard) Reinhardt; father of Edward Lasker; nephew of Eduard Lasker; uncle of Morris Edward Lasker.
  Political family: Lasker family of California and New York.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Robert E. Lynch — of Green Bay, Brown County, Wis. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Democrat. Player and manager for professional baseball teams; public relations officer for Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Corporation; member of Wisconsin state assembly, 1933-36, 1943-58 (Brown County 1st District 1933-36, 1943-54, Brown County 2nd District 1955-58). Burial location unknown.
Chandler Owen Chandler Owen (1889-1967) — of Manhattan, New York County, N.Y.; Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Warrenton, Warren County, N.C., April 5, 1889. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; Socialist candidate for New York state assembly from New York County 21st District, 1920; newspaper managing editor; public relations business; speechwriter; candidate in Republican primary for U.S. Representative from Illinois 1st District, 1934. African ancestry. Died, from kidney disease, in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., November 2, 1967 (age 78 years, 211 days). Interment at Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Aaron A. Owen and Mary (Bonner) Owen.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: New York Public Library
  Harold E. Rainville (b. 1907) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., January 30, 1907. Republican. Public relations executive; campaign manager in many elections for U.S. Sen. Everett M. Dirksen; also special assistant to the Senator; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952, 1964. Congregationalist. Member, Sigma Delta Chi; Pi Kappa Alpha. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of William Van Buren Rainville and Agnes Marie (Ward) Rainville; married, August 6, 1932, to Mariann Rita Pack.
  Judy Baar Topinka (1944-2014) — also known as Judy Baar — of Riverside, Cook County, Ill. Born in Riverside, Cook County, Ill., January 16, 1944. Republican. Public relations business; member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1981-84; member of Illinois state senate, 1985-94; Illinois state treasurer, 1995-2007; Illinois Republican state chair, 2002-05; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 2004, 2008 (alternate); candidate for Governor of Illinois, 2006; Illinois state comptroller, 2011-14; died in office 2014. Female. Czech and Slovak ancestry. Member, Alpha Gamma Rho. Died in Berwyn, Cook County, Ill., December 10, 2014 (age 70 years, 328 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Daughter of William D. Baar and Lillian Mary (Shuss) Baar; married 1965 to Joe Topinka.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Arthur James Weaver (1910-1987) — also known as Arthur J. Weaver — of Omaha, Douglas County, Neb. Born in Carbondale, Jackson County, Ill., July 7, 1910. Republican. Advertising executive; delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1956, 1960. Died in Omaha, Douglas County, Neb., March 17, 1987 (age 76 years, 253 days). Interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Omaha, Neb.
  Relatives: Son of Thomas Arthur Weaver and Ida Mae (Burgess) Weaver; married 1946 to Gwendolyn Ruth Sachs.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
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The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.
 
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