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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: Illinois

in chronological order

  Theophilus Washington Smith (1784-1845) — also known as Theophilus W. Smith — of Edwardsville, Madison County, Ill. Born in New York, New York County, N.Y., September 28, 1784. Studied law in the office of Aaron Burr; lawyer; newspaper editor; candidate for Illinois state attorney general, 1820; member of Illinois state senate, 1823-26; advocated the legalization of slavery in Illinois; justice of Illinois state supreme court, 1825-42; impeached by the Illinois Legislature in 1833, on charges of oppressive conduct and corruption; the Senate acquitted him on a vote of 12-10 (two-thirds required). Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., May 6, 1845 (age 60 years, 220 days). Original interment in unknown location; reinterment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Thomas Rodney Smith and Mary (Thurston) Smith; father of Adeline Clarissa Smith (who married Jesse Burgess Thomas) and Louise M. Smith (who married Levi Day Boone); uncle of Frances Everallyn Rose (who married William Wallace Irwin).
  Political family: Thomas-Smith-Irwin family of Pennsylvania (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
Robert G. Ingersoll Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) — also known as Robert G. Ingersoll; "The Great Agnostic"; "American Infidel"; "Impious Pope Bob" — of Peoria, Peoria County, Ill.; Washington, D.C. Born in Dresden, Yates County, N.Y., August 11, 1833. Lawyer; Democratic candidate for Illinois state house of representatives 5th District, 1860; colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War; charged about 1864 with assault and battery against the Peoria County Sheriff; tried; the jury was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict; the case was dismissed before a new trial could be held; Illinois state attorney general, 1867-69; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1876; made the nominating speech which dubbed James G. Blaine as "The Plumed Knight". Agnostic. Died in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, N.Y., July 21, 1899 (age 65 years, 344 days). Cremated; ashes interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.; statue erected 1911 at Glen Oak Park, Peoria, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Rev. John Ingersoll and Mary (Livingston) Ingersoll; brother of Ebon Clarke Ingersoll; married, February 13, 1862, to Eve Amelia Parker; uncle of John Carter Ingersoll; second cousin thrice removed of Jonathan Ingersoll and Jared Ingersoll; third cousin twice removed of Charles Jared Ingersoll, Joseph Reed Ingersoll, Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll and Charles Anthony Ingersoll; fourth cousin once removed of Laman Ingersoll, Colin Macrae Ingersoll and Charles Roberts Ingersoll.
  Political family: Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also NNDB dossier
  Books about Robert G. Ingersoll: Orvin Larson, American Infidel: Robert G. Ingersoll
  Image source: William C. Roberts, Leading Orators (1884)
  Buckner Stith Morris (1800-1879) — also known as Buckner S. Morris — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Augusta, Bracken County, Ky., August 19, 1800. Whig. Lawyer; mayor of Chicago, Ill., 1838-39; candidate for secretary of state of Illinois, 1852; circuit judge in Illinois, 1853-55; served as treasurer of the Sons of Liberty, a Northern pro-Confederate organization; in 1864, he was arrested and imprisoned for taking part in an alleged plot to break out prisoners of war held at Camp Douglas in Chicago. Catholic. Thought to be the originator of "to hell in a handbasket," though the phrase wasn't widely used before the 1940s. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., December 16, 1879 (age 79 years, 119 days). Interment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Married 1832 to Evelina Barker; married 1850 to Eliza Stephenson.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  John Looney (1865-1942) — also known as Patrick John Looney — of Rock Island, Rock Island County, Ill. Born in Ottawa, La Salle County, Ill., October 5, 1865. Lawyer; newspaper publisher; indicted with others in 1897 over a scheme to defraud the city of Rock Island in connection with a storm drain construction project; convicted, but the verdict was overturned on appeal; candidate for Illinois state house of representatives, 1900; created and led a crime syndicate in northwest Illinois, with interests in gambling, prostitution, extortion, and eventually bootlegging and automobile theft; indicted in 1907 on 37 counts of bribery, extortion, and libel, but acquitted; shot and wounded by hidden snipers on two occasions in 1908; on February 22, 1909, he was shot and wounded in a gunfight with business rival W. W. Wilmerton; on March 22, 1912, after publishing personal attacks on Rock Island Mayor Henry M. Schriver, he was arrested, brought to the police station, and severely beaten by the mayor himself; subsequent rioting killed two men and injured nine others; resumed control of the Rock Island rackets in 1921; in 1922, he was indicted for the murder of saloon keeper William Gabel, who had provided evidence against Looney to federal agents; arrested in Belen, N.M., in 1924, and later convicted of conspiracy and murder; sentenced to 5 years in prison for conspiracy and 14 years for murder; served 8 1/2 years. Irish ancestry. Died, of tuberculosis, in a sanitarium at El Paso, El Paso County, Tex., 1942 (age about 76 years). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Patrick Looney and Margaret Looney; married 1892 to Nora O'Connor; nephew of Maurice T. Maloney.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Charles F. Shilling — of Decatur, Macon County, Ill. Mayor of Decatur, Ill., 1901-04; Charged with tolerating vice, including gambling, Sunday liquor sales, slot machines, and immoral shows; tried in 1902 and acquitted. Burial location unknown.
  Samuel Standish — of Woodstock, McHenry County, Ill. Mayor of Woodstock, Ill., 1890. Tried and convicted of perjury, 1905, for inducing William Wooley to make a false confession to the murder of merchant Wilbur E. Latimer. Burial location unknown.
Henry Wulff Henry Wulff (1854-1907) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Meldorf, Germany, August 24, 1854. Republican. Cook County Clerk, 1886-94; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1892; Illinois state treasurer, 1895-97; president of Continental Financing Company, which in 1905 was investigated by the Illinois Attorney General as a fraud scheme; charged in federal court with using the mails to defraud, he and an associate pleaded guilty in 1906, and were sentenced to prison. Member, Freemasons; Foresters; Redmen; Knights of Pythias. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., December 27, 1907 (age 53 years, 125 days). Interment at Union Ridge Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Claus Wulff and Catherine Wulff; married 1875 to Katherine Englehart.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Chicago Tribune, June 19, 1905
  Clarence Seward Darrow (1857-1938) — also known as Clarence S. Darrow — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Kinsman, Trumbull County, Ohio, April 18, 1857. Democrat. Lawyer; candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1896; member of Illinois state house of representatives 17th District, 1903-05; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1904, 1924. Member, American Civil Liberties Union. Defense attorney for, among many others, Patrick Eugene Prendergast, who murdered Chicago mayor Carter H. Harrison. In 1911, he was charged with bribing jurors in a California case; tried and acquitted; a second trial resulted in a hung jury. Famously cross-examined William Jennings Bryan during the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial.". Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., March 13, 1938 (age 80 years, 329 days). Cremated; ashes scattered; statue at Rhea County Courthouse Grounds, Dayton, Tenn.
  Relatives: Son of Amirus Darrow and Emily (Eddy) Darrow.
  Cross-reference: William B. Lloyd
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Books by Clarence Darrow: Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays — The Story of My Life
  Books about Clarence Darrow: Arthur Weinberg, ed., Attorney for the Damned: Clarence Darrow in the Courtroom — Mike Papantonio, Clarence Darrow, the journeyman — Irving Stone, Clarence Darrow for the Defense — Richard J. Jensen, Clarence Darrow : The Creation of an American Myth — Geoffrey Cowan, The People v. Clarence Darrow : The Bribery Trial of America's Greatest Lawyer
  Harry M. Schriver — of Rock Island, Rock Island County, Ill. Mayor of Rock Island, Ill., 1911-15, 1919-23; on March 22, 1912, angry over personal attacks published by newspaper publisher and crime syndicate boss John Looney, he had Looney brought to the Rock Island police station and gave him a severe beating; during a riot on March 27, a sniper shot at the mayor in his office; convicted in 1923 on vice protection conspiracy charges. Burial location unknown.
William Lorimer William Lorimer (1861-1934) — also known as "The Blond Boss" — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Manchester, England, April 27, 1861. Republican. Real estate business; contractor; brick manufacturer; U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1895-1901, 1903-09 (2nd District 1895-1901, 6th District 1903-09); delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1896, 1904, 1908; U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1909-12. Scottish ancestry. He was accused of bribery in winning election to the Senate; in 1912, the Senate invalidated his election. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., September 13, 1934 (age 73 years, 139 days). Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, Ill.
  Relatives: Married to Susan Mooney.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Autobiographies and Portraits of the President, Cabinet, etc. (1899)
  Carlton Prouty (1864-1931) — of Winnetka, Cook County, Ill. Born in Washington, D.C., November 20, 1864. Republican. Lawyer; insurance business; real estate dealer; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1908. In May, 1913, he was fined $500, and sentenced to three months in the county jail, for having violated the Illinois law which prohibits the remarriage of divorced persons within one year; he had married his former stenographer four days after being divorced from his first wife. Died in Evanston, Cook County, Ill., December 10, 1931 (age 67 years, 20 days). Interment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Merrick Franklin Prouty and Anne Elizabeth (Jenks) Prouty; married 1913 to Mary Busscher; third cousin once removed of John Azro Prouty; fourth cousin of Charles Azro Prouty and George Herbert Prouty.
  Political family: Prouty family of Newport, Vermont.
  Hiram Robert Fowler (1851-1926) — also known as H. Robert Fowler — of Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Ill. Born near Eddyville, Pope County, Ill., February 7, 1851. Democrat. Member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1893-95; member of Illinois state senate, 1900-04; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1908; U.S. Representative from Illinois 24th District, 1911-15; defeated, 1924; in 1915, when the U.S. was still neutral in World War I, he was general counsel for "Labor's National Peace Council," which advocated a weapons embargo against the countries then at war; the organization secretly received funding from German agents; indicted in December 1915, along with Frank Buchanan, Frank S. Monnett, and others, for restraint of trade over the Peace Council's attempts to foment strikes in U.S. munitions plants; stood trial in May 1917, along with (ultimately) six co-defendants; the jury convicted three, but deadlocked over the other four, including Fowler; he was not re-tried. Died January 5, 1926 (age 74 years, 332 days). Interment at Sunset Hill Cemetery, Harrisburg, Ill.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Frank Buchanan (1862-1930) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born near Madison, Jefferson County, Ind., June 14, 1862. Democrat. Ironworker; U.S. Representative from Illinois 7th District, 1911-17; in 1915, when the U.S. was still neutral in World War I, he was president of "Labor's National Peace Council," which advocated a weapons embargo against the countries then at war; the organization secretly received funding from German agents; when a grand jury investigation was announced, he retaliated by introducing resolutions to impeach U.S. Attorney H. Snowden Marshall; indicted in December 1915, along with H. Robert Fowler, Frank S. Monnett, and others, for restraint of trade over the Peace Council's attempts to foment strikes in U.S. munitions plants; stood trial in May 1917, along with (ultimately) six co-defendants; the jury convicted three, but deadlocked over the other four, including Buchanan; he was not re-tried. Died, of heart disease, in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., April 18, 1930 (age 67 years, 308 days). Interment at Irving Park Boulevard Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph Buchanan and Emeline (Connor) Buchanan; married, March 17, 1898, to Minnie Murphy.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Blaine Jackson Brickwood (1888-1949) — also known as Blaine J. Brickwood — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., February 5, 1888. Lawyer; Honorary Consul for Venezuela in Chicago, Ill., 1915-20; on November 18, 1917, while driving, he struck and killed Walter Israel; censured by the coroner's jury which investigated the death; indicted on a charge of manslaughter; following a trial in June 1920, he was found not guilty by a jury; meanwhile, he was arrested on a charge of embezzlement. Died in Cook County, Ill., March 13, 1949 (age 61 years, 36 days). Interment at Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Genevieve (Jackson) Brickwood and Albert William Brickwood; brother of Albert William Brickwood Jr.; married, November 16, 1912, to Bertie H. Meloy; nephew of John Thomas Brickwood.
  Political family: Brickwood family of Chicago and Forest Park, Illinois.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  J. Louis Engdahl (1884-1932) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn., November 11, 1884. Writer and editor for Socialist and Communist newspapers; indicted in Chicago, 1918, along with former U.S. Rep. Victor L. Berger, and three others, for making speeches that encouraged disloyalty and obstructed military recruitment; tried and convicted; sentenced to twenty years in prison; the conviction was later overturned; Socialist candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 7th District, 1918; delegate to Socialist National Convention from Illinois, 1920; candidate for U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1924 (Workers), 1926 (Workers Communist); Communist candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1930; Communist candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 7th District, 1931. Swedish ancestry. Died, of pneumonia, in Moscow, Russia, November 21, 1932 (age 48 years, 10 days). Burial location unknown.
  See also Wikipedia article
  William Bross Lloyd (1875-1946) — also known as William B. Lloyd; "The Millionaire Socialist" — of Winnetka, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., February 27, 1875. Socialist. Candidate for U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1918; arrested in downtown Chicago, 1918, for refusing to remove a red flag from his limo; co-founder of Communist Labor Party, 1919; indicted for sedition, 1920; represented at trial by Clarence Darrow; convicted, sentenced to 1-5 years in prison; his sentence was commuted in 1922. Died, of cancer, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., June 30, 1946 (age 71 years, 123 days). Cremated; ashes scattered in North Atlantic Ocean.
  Relatives: Son of Henry Demarest Lloyd and Jessie (Bross) Lloyd; married to Lola Maverick and Madge Bird; grandson of William Bross.
  William F. Kruse (1894-1952) — also known as Bill Kruse — of Illinois. Born in Hoboken, Hudson County, N.J., 1894. Bookkeeper; indicted in Chicago, 1918, along with former U.S. Rep. Victor L. Berger, and three others, for making speeches that encouraged disloyalty and obstructed military recruitment; tried and convicted; sentenced to twenty years in prison; the conviction was later overturned; Socialist candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 6th District, 1918, 1920; delegate to Socialist National Convention from Illinois, 1920; Socialist candidate for secretary of state of Illinois, 1921; Workers candidate for Governor of Illinois, 1928. German and Danish ancestry. Died in 1952 (age about 58 years). Burial location unknown.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Adolph Germer (1881-1966) — of Belleville, St. Clair County, Ill.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in Wehlau, East Prussia (now Znamensk, Kaliningrad Oblast), January 15, 1881. Socialist. Miner; union official in various capacities for the United Mine Workers of America, 1906-16; member of Socialist National Committee from Illinois, 1911; candidate for Illinois state house of representatives, 1912; candidate for U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1914; National Executive Secretary, Socialist Party of America, 1916-19; indicted in Chicago, 1918, along with former U.S. Rep. Victor L. Berger, and three others, for making speeches that encouraged disloyalty and obstructed military recruitment; tried and convicted; sentenced to twenty years in prison; the conviction was later overturned; candidate for New York state assembly from New York County 16th District, 1921. Member, United Mine Workers. Died in Rockford, Winnebago County, Ill., May, 1966 (age 85 years, 0 days). Burial location unknown.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Irwin St. John Tucker — of Illinois. Socialist. Lecturer; indicted in Chicago, 1918, along with former U.S. Rep. Victor L. Berger, and three others, for making speeches that encouraged disloyalty and obstructed military recruitment; tried and convicted; sentenced to twenty years in prison; the conviction was later overturned; candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 10th District, 1918; delegate to Socialist National Convention from Illinois, 1920. Burial location unknown.
  Frank Leslie Smith (1867-1950) — also known as Frank L. Smith — of Dwight, Livingston County, Ill. Born in Dwight, Livingston County, Ill., November 24, 1867. Republican. Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 1904; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1908, 1920, 1924, 1932, 1936, 1940 (member, Committee to Notify Vice-Presidential Nominee), 1944, 1948; U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 8th Illinois District, 1909; member of Illinois Republican State Central Committee, 1910-25; U.S. Representative from Illinois 17th District, 1919-21; defeated, 1930; Illinois Republican state chair, 1919-25; U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1926-28; defeated, 1920; member of Republican National Committee from Illinois, 1932. Not seated as a U.S. Senator in 1927 due to charges of 'fraud and corruption' in his campaign. Died in Dwight, Livingston County, Ill., August 30, 1950 (age 82 years, 279 days). Interment at Oak Lawn Cemetery, Dwight, Ill.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Magne Alfred Michaelson (1878-1949) — also known as M. Alfred Michaelson; M. A. Michaelson — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Kristiansand, Norway, September 7, 1878. Republican. Delegate to Illinois state constitutional convention 25th District, 1920-22; U.S. Representative from Illinois 7th District, 1921-31; defeated, 1918, 1932. Indicted in 1928 on charges of violating the National Prohibition Act. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., October 26, 1949 (age 71 years, 49 days). Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Charles Stuart Wharton (1875-1939) — also known as Charles S. Wharton — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Aledo, Mercer County, Ill., April 22, 1875. Republican. Lawyer; U.S. Representative from Illinois 4th District, 1905-07; in February, 1928, a group of masked men stopped a train at Evergreen Park, Illinois, and robbed it of over $130,000; after the robbery, they met at Wharton's home to divide up the proceeds, leaving him $4,000; in June, after being implicated by two of the robbers, he was indicted by a federal grand jury, tried and convicted, and sentenced to two years in federal prison. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., September 4, 1939 (age 64 years, 135 days). Interment at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Henry Wharton and Aurilla Wharton.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Archibald James Carey (1868-1931) — also known as Archibald J. Carey — of Jacksonville, Duval County, Fla.; Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in slavery, in Georgia, August 25, 1868. Republican. School teacher and principal; president, Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Fla., 1895; minister; bishop; delegate to Illinois state constitutional convention 3rd District, 1920-22; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1924; member, Chicago Civil Service Commission, 1927-29; indicted in 1929 on charges of accepting bribes from job applicants; the case never came to trial. African Methodist Episcopal. African ancestry. Died, from heart disease, in Billings Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Cook County, Ill., March 23, 1931 (age 62 years, 210 days). Interment at Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Ann Carey and Jefferson Alexander Carey; married to Elizabeth D. Davis; father of Archibald James Carey Jr..
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (1859-1938) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Kenilworth, Cook County, Ill.; near Libertyville, Lake County, Ill. Born in London, England, November 11, 1859. Republican. Associate of Thomas Edison and executive of electric utilities; one of the founders of the company that became General Electric; also had major holdings in railroads; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1904; when his utility holding company collapsed, wiping out the stockholders, he fled the country; indicted in 1932 on fraud and embezzlement charges; ultimately extradited from Turkey in 1934; tried in Chicago and found not guilty. Congregationalist. Member, Union League. Died from a heart attack, in the Place de la Concorde station on the Paris Métro subway system, Paris, France, July 16, 1938 (age 78 years, 247 days). Interment at Putney Vale Cemetery, London, England.
  Relatives: Son of Samuel Insull and Emma (Short) Insull; married, May 24, 1899, to Margaret A. Bird.
  Cross-reference: Forest A. Harness
  See also Wikipedia article
  Image source: Time Magazine, November 29, 1926
  George Edward Powers (b. 1892) — also known as George E. Powers — of Watertown, Middlesex County, Mass.; Astoria, Queens, Queens County, N.Y.; Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., February 15, 1892. Sheet metal worker; candidate for borough president of Queens, New York, 1929 (Workers), 1933 (Communist); Workers candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan, 1930; in April 1932, he was arrested at City Hall Park, during a demonstration which was characaterized as "riot"; convicted of unlawful assembly, but the sentence was suspended; also in 1932, he was publicly accused of taking part in an alleged Communist conspiracy to cause bank failures in Chicago by spreading rumors (in a "whispering campaign" of "anti-bank propaganda"); he denied this; Communist candidate for chief judge of New York Court of Appeals, 1932; vice-president, International Workers Order; Communist candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 2nd District, 1934; Communist candidate for New York state assembly from New York County 10th District, 1936; following the Hitler-Stalin pact in 1939, he resigned from the Communist Party, took part in anti-Communist organizations; at Earl Browder's trial for passport fraud in 1940, he testified for the prosecution; Liberal candidate for New York state senate 7th District, 1948, 1950. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of George E. Powers and Sarah Powers.
  Thomas Joseph O'Brien (1878-1964) — also known as Thomas J. O'Brien; "Blind Tom" — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., April 30, 1878. Democrat. Accountant; member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1907-10, 1929-32; U.S. Representative from Illinois 6th District, 1933-39, 1943-64; died in office 1964; arrested in a police raid on a gambling establishment, 1935; Cook County Sheriff, 1939-42; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1960. Catholic. Member, Knights of Columbus. Died in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Md., April 14, 1964 (age 85 years, 350 days). Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Thomas O'Brien and Mary (Murphy) O'Brien; married, July 15, 1920, to Nettie Kaufer.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Peter B. Carey (1886-1943) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., November 3, 1886. Democrat. President, Chicago Board of Trade, 1932-35; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1932, 1936, 1940; delegate to Illinois convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933; Cook County Sheriff, 1942-43. Died, amidst a scandal in his department, from a heart ailment, in Sacred Heart Sanitarium, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wis., November 1, 1943 (age 56 years, 363 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married to Mary Frances Angsten.
  Robert Morss Lovett (1870-1956) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Lake Zurich, Lake County, Ill. Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., December 25, 1870. Progressive. University professor; novelist; playwright; candidate for Presidential Elector for Illinois; secretary of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1939-43; Governor of U.S. Virgin Islands, 1940-41; removed from office as Secretary of the Virgin Islands, and barred from federal employment, by action of the U.S. Congress in 1943, over his ties to left-wing and purportedly Communist individuals and groups; the action was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as an unconstitutional bill of attainder, and he received about $2,000 in salary owed to him. Atheist. Died, in St. Joseph's Hospital, Chicago, Cook County, Ill., February 8, 1956 (age 85 years, 45 days). Interment at Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Augustus Sidney Lovett and Elizabeth (Russell) Lovett; married, June 4, 1895, to Ida Mott-Smith; father of Robert Morss Lovett, Jr.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Charles J. Anderson Jr. — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Republican. Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 6th District, 1944; delegate to the openly anti-Semitic America First Party convention in 1944, which nominated Gerald L. K. Smith for president. Pleaded guilty in Chicago, 1946 to a charge of assault with intent to kill. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.
  John Frederick Hartsfield (1884-1953) — also known as John F. Hartsfield — of Illiopolis, Sangamon County, Ill.; Monticello, Piatt County, Ill.; Homewood, Jefferson County, Ala. Born in Durham, Durham County, N.C., January 3, 1884. Democrat. Jeweler; postmaster at Monticello, Ill., 1934-46 (acting, 1934-35). According to published reports, he had an argument with his daughter-in-law over disciplining two small children; he then shot her in the chest (she survived), and then shot and killed himself, in Homewood, Jefferson County, Ala., May 9, 1953 (age 69 years, 126 days). Interment at Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Ala.
  Relatives: Son of Flavius Josephus Hartsfield and Nancy A. 'Nannie' (Rogers) Hartsfield; married, December 24, 1905, to Catherine E. Ennis; married 1912 to Jean Claudie Maxwell; fourth cousin of William Berry Hartsfield.
  Hugh Ware Cross (1896-1972) — also known as Hugh W. Cross — of Jerseyville, Jersey County, Ill. Born in Jerseyville, Jersey County, Ill., August 24, 1896. Republican. Lawyer; member of Illinois state house of representatives 38th District, 1933-40; Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives, 1939-40; Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 1941-49; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1944, 1948; member, Interstate Commerce Commission, 1949-55; resigned under fire from the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1955, following a unanimous vote of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to open an inquiry into the propriety of his actions influencing the award of a Chicago transportation contract; the committee later reported that he had "made a mistake and acted indiscreetly". Member, American Legion; Freemasons; Shriners; Jesters; Elks; Alpha Tau Omega; Phi Delta Phi. Died in Jerseyville, Jersey County, Ill., October 15, 1972 (age 76 years, 52 days). Interment at Oak Grove Cemetery, Jerseyville, Ill.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Orville E. Hodge — of Illinois. Illinois state auditor of public accounts, 1953-56. Convicted of embezzling state funds; sentenced to prison. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.
  William Grant Stratton (1914-2001) — also known as William G. Stratton — of Morris, Grundy County, Ill.; Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Ingleside, Lake County, Ill., February 26, 1914. Republican. U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large, 1941-43, 1947-49; Illinois state treasurer, 1943-45, 1951-53; Republican candidate for secretary of state of Illinois, 1944 (primary), 1948; served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952 (Honorary Vice-President; speaker), 1956, 1960 (speaker); Governor of Illinois, 1953-61; defeated in primary, 1968; candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1960. Methodist. Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Lions; Eagles; Delta Chi; Freemasons; Shriners; Elks; American Legion; Amvets. Indicted in 1964 on income tax charges; tried and acquitted in 1965. Died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Cook County, Ill., March 2, 2001 (age 87 years, 4 days). Interment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of William Joseph Stratton.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography — NNDB dossier
  Books about William G. Stratton: David Kenney, The Political Passage : The Career of Stratton of Illinois
  Paul Taylor Powell (1902-1970) — also known as Paul Powell — of Vienna, Johnson County, Ill. Born in Vienna, Johnson County, Ill., January 21, 1902. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964; chair of Johnson County Democratic Party, 1950; Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives, 1959-63; secretary of state of Illinois, 1965-70; died in office 1970; in 1966, his office was investigated for corruption; he was exonerated, but his chief investigator was indicted for theft of state funds. Died in Rochester, Olmsted County, Minn., October 10, 1970 (age 68 years, 262 days). About $800,000 cash was found in shoeboxes in his room at the St. Nicholas Hotel, Springfield, Ill. Interment at Fraternal Cemetery, Vienna, Ill.
  Epitaph: "Here Lies a Lifelong Democrat / A Great American."
  Books about Paul Powell: Robert E. Hartley, Paul Powell of Illinois : Lifelong Democrat
  Bobby Seale (b. 1936) — also known as Robert George Seale — of Oakland, Alameda County, Calif. Born in Dallas, Dallas County, Tex., October 22, 1936. Joined U.S. Air Force in 1955; charged with insubordination and being AWOL, and dishonorably discharged; sheet metal worker; co-founder, with Huey Newton, of the Black Panther Party, 1966; one of eight defendants charged in 1969 with crossing state lines to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; the judge ordered him bound and gagged during the trial, and sentenced him to four years in prison for contempt of court; Peace and Freedom candidate for California state assembly 17th District, 1968; in 1970, he was charged in New Haven, Conn., with ordering the murder of Alex Rackley, a Black Panther who had confessed to being a police informant; the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the charges were eventually dropped; candidate for mayor of Oakland, Calif., 1973. African ancestry. Still living as of 2014.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Bobby Lee Rush (b. 1946) — also known as Bobby L. Rush — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Albany, Dougherty County, Ga., November 23, 1946. Democrat. Candidate for Illinois state house of representatives, 1978; U.S. Representative from Illinois 1st District, 1993-; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008; candidate for mayor of Chicago, Ill., 1999. Protestant. African ancestry. As a Black Panther, spent six months in prison on a weapons charge. Still living as of 2014.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Otto Kerner Jr. (1908-1976) — of Glenview, Cook County, Ill.; Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., August 15, 1908. Democrat. Lawyer; colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, 1947-54; county judge in Illinois, 1954-60; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1960, 1964; Governor of Illinois, 1961-68; Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, 1968-74; resigned 1974. Presbyterian. Member, American Bar Association; American Judicature Society; Freemasons; Shriners; Moose; Odd Fellows; Royal Arcanum; Military Order of the World Wars; Alpha Delta Phi; Phi Delta Phi. While serving as Governor, he and another official made a gain of over $300,000 in a stock deal which prosecutors later characterized as bribery. Convicted in 1973 on 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges; sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $50,000. Died of cancer, May 9, 1976 (age 67 years, 268 days). Interment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
  Relatives: Son of Rose Barbara (Chmelik) Kerner and Otto Kerner; married, October 29, 1934, to Helena Irene Cermak (daughter of Anton Josef Cermak; sister-in-law of Richey V. Graham).
  Political family: Kerner-Cermak family of Chicago, Illinois.
  Cross-reference: Milton Rakove
  See also National Governors Association biography — NNDB dossier
  George Bradford Cook (b. 1936) — also known as G. Bradford Cook — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Lincoln, Lancaster County, Neb., 1936. Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 1973; resigned under fire from the SEC, following disclosure that he had modified a commission complaint to delete references to a secret $200,000 campaign contribution to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign from fugitive financier Robert Vesco; admitted that he testified falsely to a Senate committee and to a grand jury investigating the matter; his license to practice law in Illinois and Nebraska was suspended for three years. Still living as of 1975.
  Relatives: Son of George Brash Cook; married to Jo Anne Thatcher and Laura Armour.
  John Linebaugh Knuppel (1923-1986) — also known as John L. Knuppel — of Petersburg, Menard County, Ill. Born in Easton, Mason County, Ill., August 15, 1923. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War II; delegate to Illinois state constitutional convention, 1969-70; member of Illinois state senate, 1971-81 (42nd District 1971-73, 48th District 1973-81); candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 18th District, 1980. Lutheran. German ancestry. Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars; American Legion. Jailed for contempt of court for refusing to wear a tie. Died, of heart disease, in a hospital at Springfield, Sangamon County, Ill., November 15, 1986 (age 63 years, 92 days). Interment somewhere in Havana, Ill.
  Daniel Bever Crane (b. 1936) — also known as Dan Crane — of Illinois. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., January 10, 1936. Republican. U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1979-85 (22nd District 1979-83, 19th District 1983-85). Censured by the House of Representatives in 1983 for having sexual relations with a teenage House page in 1980. Still living as of 2014.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier
  Charles Arthur Hayes (1918-1997) — also known as Charles A. Hayes — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Cairo, Alexander County, Ill., February 17, 1918. Democrat. U.S. Representative from Illinois 1st District, 1983-93; defeated in primary, 1992; arrested during an anti-apartheid protest outside the South African Embassy in Washington, 1984. African ancestry. Member, United Food and Commercial Workers. Died, from complications of lung cancer, at South Suburban Hospital, Hazel Crest, Cook County, Ill., April 8, 1997 (age 79 years, 50 days). Burial location unknown.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier
  Frank Munch (born c.1925) — of Palatine, Cook County, Ill. Born about 1925. Real estate broker; village president of Palatine, Illinois, 1985-87; charged with failing to disclose a loan and a partnership on financial disclosure forms; tried in January 1987 and found not guilty. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.
  Jerry Cosentino (c.1932-1997) — of Palos Heights, Cook County, Ill. Born about 1932. Democrat. Illinois state treasurer, 1979-83, 1987-91; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980; candidate for secretary of state of Illinois, 1982, 1990. Pleaded guilty to bank fraud in April 1992; fined $5,000, and sentenced to nine months home confinement. Died of a heart attack, in Naples, Collier County, Fla., April 3, 1997 (age about 65 years). Burial location unknown.
  Fred B. Roti (1920-1999) — of Illinois. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., December 18, 1920. Member of Illinois state senate, 1951-56. Convicted of extortion and racketeering, 1993; served four years in federal prison. Died, of cancer, in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., September 20, 1999 (age 78 years, 276 days). Interment at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Ill.
  Daniel David Rostenkowski (1928-2010) — also known as Dan Rostenkowski; "Rosty"; "Chicago Powerhouse" — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., January 2, 1928. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict; member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1953-55; member of Illinois state senate, 1955-59; U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1959-95 (8th District 1959-93, 5th District 1993-95); defeated, 1994; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984 (delegation chair), 1988, 1992. Catholic. Polish ancestry. Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Knights of Columbus; Kiwanis; Moose. Indicted in 1994 on 17 felony charges; pleaded guilty in April 1996 to two counts of misuse of public funds; sentenced to seventeen months in federal prison; released in 1997. Died in Powers Lake, Kenosha County, Wis., August 11, 2010 (age 82 years, 221 days). Interment at St. Adalbert's Cemetery, Niles, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Priscilla Praxeda (Dombrowski) Rostenkowski and Joseph Peter Rostenkowski.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Melvin Jay Reynolds (b. 1952) — also known as Mel Reynolds — of Illinois. Born in Mound Bayou, Bolivar County, Miss., January 8, 1952. Democrat. University professor; U.S. Representative from Illinois 2nd District, 1993-95; defeated in primary, 1988, 1990; resigned 1995. Baptist. African ancestry. Convicted in 1995 on sexual misconduct and obstruction of justice charges and sentenced to five years in prison. Convicted in federal court in 1997 of 15 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the Federal Election Commission; sentenced to 78 more months in prison. Still living as of 2014.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier
  Percy Z. Giles (born c.1952) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born about 1952. Democrat. Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 7th District, 1996. African ancestry. Convicted in 1999 on federal bribery and extortion charges. Still living as of 1999.
  Christopher Lee Bollyn (born c.1957) — also known as Christopher Bollyn — of Hoffman Estates, Cook County, Ill. Born about 1957. Journalist; promoter of theory that Israeli agents were responsible for the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center; candidate in primary for village president of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, 2001; in August 2006, he called 911 to report a suspicious vehicle in his neighborhood; got into an altercation and scuffle with police; arrested and charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest; tried and convicted in 2007; did not appear for sentencing. Still living as of 2006.
  See also Encyclopedia of American Loons
  Rod R. Blagojevich (b. 1956) — also known as Rod Blagojevich; "Blago" — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., December 10, 1956. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Illinois state house of representatives, 1993-96; U.S. Representative from Illinois 5th District, 1997-2003; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000, 2004, 2008; Governor of Illinois, 2003-09; solicited bribes from potential candidates for appointment to Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat; arrested by federal agents in December 2008, and set for trial on federal corruption charges; in January 2009, based on charges that he abused his authority and attempted to sell authorizations, vetoes, and appointments, he was impeached by the Illinois House, convicted by a unanimous vote of the Illinois Senate, and prohibited from holding public office in the state; tried in federal court in 2010-11, and after a mistrial, was ultimately found guilty on eighteen counts, including bribery and extortion; sentenced to 14 years in federal prison; an appeal later overturned five of the eighteen convictions, but did not change his prison sentence. Serbian ancestry. Still living as of 2019.
  Relatives: Married to Patricia 'Patti' Mell (daughter of Richard F. Mell; sister of Deborah Mell).
  Political family: Mell-Blagojevich family of Chicago, Illinois.
  Cross-reference: Daniel Lipinski
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography — NNDB dossier — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Books by Rod Blagojevich: The Governor (2009)
  Books about Rod Blagojevich: Elizabeth Brackett, Pay to Play: How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption Into a National Sideshow — Jeff Coen & John Chase, Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself out of the Governor's Office and into Prison
  Harold Charles Turner (b. 1962) — also known as Hal Turner — of North Bergen, Hudson County, N.J. Born in Jersey City, Hudson County, N.J., March 15, 1962. Republican. Radio talk show host; candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey 13th District, 2000; in June 2009, he posted threats against three U.S. Court of Appeals judges, calling for them to be murdered over a ruling in a gun rights case; pleaded not guilty; tried in 2009-10; the first two ended in mistrials; convicted at the third trial and sentenced to 33 months in prison; released in 2012. Still living as of 2015.
  See also Wikipedia article — Encyclopedia of American Loons
  Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (b. 1965) — also known as Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Born in Greenville, Greenville County, S.C., March 11, 1965. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008; speaker, 1988; U.S. Representative from Illinois 2nd District, 1995-2012; resigned 2012; investigated by federal prosecutors in 2012 over misuse of campaign funds, amounting to about $750,000 spent on personal items, such as cashmere capes and a fedora; in February 2013, following his resignation from Congress, he his wife pleaded guilty; he was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison; released in 2015. Baptist. African ancestry. Member, Omega Psi Phi. Still living as of 2021.
  Relatives: Son of Jacqueline (Brown) Jackson and Jesse Louis Jackson.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile
  Books by Jesse Jackson, Jr.: A More Perfect Union, with Frank E. Watkins
  Aaron Jon Schock (b. 1981) — also known as Aaron Schock — of Peoria, Peoria County, Ill. Born in Morris, Stevens County, Minn., May 28, 1981. Republican. Member of Illinois state house of representatives, 2005-08; speaker, Republican National Convention, 2008 ; U.S. Representative from Illinois 18th District, 2009-15; resigned 2015; in 2014, news media reported that he had misused government funds to pay for lavish redecorating, international trips, and luxury items; he also claimed mileage reimbursements on his car for many more miles than he had actually driven; following these revelations, he resigned from Congress; indicted in November 2016; pled not guilty; trial pending. Still living as of 2018.
  See also congressional biography — Wikipedia article
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
The Political Graveyard

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.
 
  The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
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Copyright notices: (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute fair use under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2023 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.
Site information: The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106. — This site is hosted by HDL. — The Political Graveyard opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on March 8, 2023.

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