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Question of the day

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Illinois

* In your opinion, who was the greatest Illinois governor? Explain your answer as fully as possible.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 10:46 am

Comments

This depends largely on what you’re using as a measuring stick. In terms of intellectual gifts, I’d go with Adlai Stevenson. But without a good way to rank one against another, on the basis of courage and character, I submit that John Peter Altgeld was the greatest Governor of Illinois.

Altgeld sacrificed his political career with the Haymarket pardons, and was subsequently proven to be a prescient thinker on criminal justice issues. He is the only individual featured in JFK’s “Profiles in Courage” for his role as Governor. In terms of character, and moral leadership, and willingness to sacrifice political advancement for simple justice, none since Altgeld measure up.

Comment by Joshua Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 10:50 am
Altgeld

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 10:54 am
Explain, please.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 10:54 am
Rod Blagojevich. Because of him demands for serious change in government of Illinois and ethics reform and being stated loud and clear. Without him, reformers would be still be in the middle of Lake Michigan without a paddle.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:02 am
p.s. I am using “change” as the major factor in my decision.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:04 am
James R. Thompson. Bright, persistent, gifted in political trading, he usually found a way with his knack for compromise to work it out with President Phil Rock and Speaker Madigan. Illinois worked very well then. And he could be a populist when it was required. He was Governor during the so-called liability crisis when local governments were closing buildings and padlocking park entrances. With his support the GA addressed the problems and everyone found a win-win solution. Heck he even had a good relationship with the then head of the Taxpayers Federation, Doug Whitley. Man…think about that. Republican Governor…gets along with Senate President Dem…gets along with taxpayer groups…gets along with Speaker Dem…ahhh, those were the days.

Comment by Mongo Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:09 am
Altgeld, for reasons Joshua stated, but for also being at the forefront of the Progressive Era in championing tough child labor laws, universal education, women’s rights, and labor rights.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:09 am
MICHAEL FRANCIS MCDERMOTT-HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST!

Comment by ANTONIN P Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:10 am
Wordslinger does an able job bolstering the case for Altgeld.

Comment by Joshua Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:16 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm1Jyusyoqk

Comment by Scooby Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:19 am
i only know george ryan and rod blagojevich. not exactly in a position to “vote” on this question (oh, and they didn’t teach chicago/illinois history in florida. still like reuben askew for florida govs)…

Comment by bored now Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:19 am
In modern times, JRT. Not going to jail is a low bar to meet. But the state was effectively managed back then, and he found a way to achieve economic growth and provide services to a diverse population, as well as trust between himself and the different factions.

Historically, Altgeld, for being in the forefront of many freedoms and policies we have today.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:21 am
I think that Gov. Quinn is doing a good job considering the circumstances of how he came to be in office.

Comment by Polignac Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:27 am
Richard Ogilvie

He had the courage to do what was necessary irrespective of adverse political consequences.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:27 am
I think some consideration also should go to Henry Horner, who was willing to put the interests of the public ahead of those of the leaders of his own Democratic Party in the midsat of the Great Depression.

Comment by fedup dem Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:31 am
I agree with Ogilvie. In my own lifetime, I have to say that he’s the one who did the right thing and paid the ultimate price.

Comment by tubbfan Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:38 am
We’ve not had one yet.

Comment by Just My Opinion Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 11:56 am
Altgeld,

He accomplished a lot for the state including investing heavily in higher ed. (Thats why several state schools have Algeld Hall). Plus he helped expand Lincoln Park north of Diversey.

I can’t think of anyone who comes close.

Comment by Objective Dem Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:14 pm
i agree with Ogilvie. he was involved politically in illinois years prior to his run as gov and did great work economically with the income tax legislation.

Comment by CC425 Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:17 pm
Abraham Lincoln….no,wait,wait, wait….I’m from Springfield where it is the Land of Everything Lincoln…….GOVERNOR, ok……Stevenson was an honest man who looked beyond party and toward the best government we could get via best employee’s available and hired thusly. Ogilvie had cojones for certain and if he implemented the tax knowing it would mean his political demise, then he’s a close second.

Comment by You Go Boy Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:21 pm
Edward Coles

He was one of the first outspoken emancipastors. When he inherited slaves in VA, he sought a state he could mopve to and set them free. He chose IL. He moved to IL and set his slaves free, providing the head of each family with 160 acres of land. The freed slave families decided to stay with him. Afterwards IL politics was embroiled over the issue of slavery, and a strong political movement arose to legalize slavery in IL. This prompted Coles to run for govenor to defeat this movement. He won, and his anti-slavery advocacy led the pro-slavery opposition to pursue what would be the first ballot referendum in american history. Coles managed to defeat the referendum.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:21 pm
She hasn’t been elected yet.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:28 pm
Personally I would not include JRT precisely because of his dealmaking. Everybody was well fed at the trough and he did set the stage for the pension debacle we are seeing right now.

It is depressing to see that we have to go back to the 50’s to find former Governors like Stevenson who were not accused or convicted of crimes.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:30 pm
George Ryan…Hands Down. Ryan could work with both parties. He had interest in the State, family
and getting things done. He didn’t have piles of cash when arrested because his interest was to do good. His problem was that he ran ran the Illinois just as the other govs did, but the rules changed with his term and he is paying for that. He was wrong no doubt. but caught up in a political game ran by past Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

Comment by Zoble Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:35 pm
Pate Philip

Comment by anonann Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:52 pm
Ogilvie

Comment by Pete Granata Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:54 pm
Blago, Hands down Blago. He gave Illinois some excitement. And the water cooler talk about what he uses for hair care is endless. His fashion sense with the jogging suites is priceless, and he is just great in front of the camera. Balgo Illinois Best Gov.

Comment by Boscobud Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 12:55 pm
Heh difficult question to answer. I don’t remember Jim Thompson, barely remember Jim Edgar, really slept thru George Ryan, and I really woke up for Ousted governor. I would say that despite the fact that Ryan is now sitting in federal prison I’d would rather Illinois have been run by him than by Ousted governor.

I would rank Edgar a little higher and would point to the fact that the CPS was put under the Mayor Daley in the mid 1990s. I think that was a good move although it may not have been his idea.

For me it would be either Edgar or Ryan and the jury is out on Quinn. For me to think he can do anything he should get re-elected first. I’m going to give him some time.

Comment by Levois Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:08 pm
My vote is for the longest serving Governor ever - Madigan.

Comment by Downstater Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:11 pm
I am. Because no-one had a better hairdoo than I do, and no-one fought for the people like I did.

Signed

Rod Blagojevich
(snark enabled)

Comment by trafficmatt Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:14 pm
I’ve always been a fan of Governor’s Pub on State Street. A fine place to drink away an afternoon. Leadership on tap!

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:16 pm
Ogilvie, Altgeld, and then reformer Henry Horner.

For the jokers mentioning Lincoln, he actually functioned as governor during the continuing illness of the first Republican governor. That governor never left his bed at the Mansion, and Lincoln ran things for him from the governor’s office at the old state capitol.

Comment by Capitol View Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:22 pm
===Governor’s Pub on State Street===

Isn’t GP closed?

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:37 pm
Altgeld is head and shoulders above every other Gov. but hard to compare 19th Cent to 20th Cent environment. Not sure there was a best in 20th–but, to coin a phrase, “mostly good and competent men”.

Comment by Abe's Ghost Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:37 pm
Mr Charisma himself Richard Olgilvie, he had the stones to do what needed to be done.

Comment by Dan S, a Voter and Cubs Fan Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:39 pm
Yeah, Governor’s Pub is gone, but it was no Rossi’s anyway.

Comment by Scooby Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:54 pm
===but it was no Rossi’s anyway===

Yeah, and that one’s gone, too. Sigh.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 1:56 pm
I’m voting for Adlai Stevenson. In one short term (before he was drafted to run for President in ‘52) he reformed the state police and mental health and implemented budget reforms the likes of which Illinois had never seen at that time.
He burned the midnight oil at the mansion and was a hands-on governor who was as articulate as any governor we’ve had.

Comment by There you go again Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 2:01 pm
I like Richard Yates, our Civil War governor. He was a man who knew how to lead. He was an excellent governor who took advantage of President Lincoln’s administration and saw to it that Illinois exploded with business and prosperity with federal funds and war expansion business. His administration was a huge boom to Chicago’s economy throughout the late 19th Century.

He hated slavery and personally took a stand in Congress to fight it, knowing he would lose election to the Democrats who were pro-slavery. He used the governorship to fight slavery the moment he entered office, even though Illinois was not a slave state, by raising more soldiers than any other US governor, grabbing Cairo from the Confederacy the day after Ft. Sumpter, denying them this vital river port, personally selecting Ulysses S. Grant and giving him military command which led to Grant winning the Civil War for America, personally led men to war to end slavery.

He was a US Congressman, Governor and US Senator during his lifetime of public service. His moral convictions, beliefs and service to the US as Illinois’ war governor demonstrated his understanding of duty, patriotism and honor.

If he was governor today, he’d be kicking butt under the Dome and showing how to be a leader for this state.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 2:41 pm
Good Lord Almighty People! I sincerely hope we haven’t seen the greatest yet! Talk about killing hope!

Comment by Belle Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 3:51 pm
My vote is for Olgilvie for all the reasons mentioned above. In many ways he was the state’s first modern Governor, and provided a “profile in courage” that we don’t see much any more.

Comment by Cogito Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 3:57 pm
Of the governors I have seen in my lifetime starting with Stratton, I would rank Edgar as the best because he took the state from economic ruin to a decent surplus in just 8 years. He made a lot of folks mad by telling them “no”, but he realized you can’t spend money you don’t have and you can’t burden future generations with huge debts. he also surrounded himself with capable advisors (e.g. Mike Lawrence)who were not afraid to speak frankly to him at the highest level.

Comment by One of the 35 Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 4:26 pm
I’v been around for some time, so I would say Adli, with Quinn a close second….I think Quinn will go down as one of our best, it to bad it took him so long to get the job. Edgar??lol.. he’s lucky he isn’t sitting next to Ryan.

Comment by VoterUSA Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 4:27 pm
For reasons already discussed involving his political courage, I’d go with Altgeld as the greatest.

If “great” = influential, Jim Thompson is in the picture. For better or for worse, all the governors who have served since Thompson have gotten things done (when they’ve gotten things done) as extensions of his wheeling and dealing. I disagreed with him on much, but he was certainly an effective governor.

(Plus he stopped time to keep the White Sox in Chicago, so credit where credit is due.)

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 4:35 pm
That’s me above; for some reason my computer didn’t identify me (perhaps out of shame for my Thompson comments).

Comment by Boone Logan Square Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 4:36 pm
Taking the long term, Edgar because he kept gov. reasonably small. There is so little gov. does right that anybody who even slows the growth of gov. does the taxpayer and citizen a favor.

Comment by Mr. Wizard Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 5:02 pm
Govs Pub is long gone, as is its former building.

Rossi’s is alive and well (a relative term). One of the Last of the Great Dives. An old bartender there told me George Dunne, who lived in the neighborhood, poor and rich, all his life, used to pop in for a shot of Skullpopper many mornings.

Rich, you might be thinking of Pat Haran’s a block north on State, gone a couple of years now.

For all you old terrapin soup fans, the old Binyon’s on Plymouth Court, across the street from the Standard Club and next to John Marshall Law School, has a pretty cool beer garden on the roof now.

Anyone know what happened to the old Kanes across from the Old State Capitol?

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 5:07 pm
Definitely have to go with Richard Yates. One of the most effective wartime governors during the Civil War, helped raised hundreds of thousands of troops for the cause, and brought in a lot of federal money during that conflict.

All in all, if not the best Illinois governor, definitely one of the best.

Comment by Ryan Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 5:22 pm
Altgeld is by far the most important and successful Illinois Governor. Here are a few more of his accomplishments:

Before running for Governor, he wrote a book on reform of the criminal justice system based on the idea that it should be rehabilitative rather than punitive. This book inspired Clarence Darrow to practice criminal defense law and become one of Altgeld’s closest advisors.

He feuded with Pres. Cleveland over the inappropriate use of federal troops to break the Pullman Strike. The feud ultimately led to Altgeld taking control of the Democratic Party away from banking/rail interests and establishing the progressive “Chicago Platform” at the 1996 Democratic Convention. Cleveland didn’t even show up for his own party’s convention. He might have even been President, but for the fact he was born in Germany and ineligible.

Altgeld hired a woman to become the state’s first factory inspector to help stop child labor and other abuses.

Comment by More Altgeld support Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 5:50 pm
I would vote for Ogilvie.

The modernization of the State’s revenue structure was both his greatest achievement and his political downfall.

Beyond that, he was the only governor for many years to take a serious, non-political look at the organization of State Government, knocking down old 30’s-era bureaucracies and creating the Departments of Transportation (yeah, I know who he put there) and the EPA.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 6:37 pm
Best governors ever — Altgeld, Horner, and Ogilvie, in that order, for all the reasons cited above.

Best “should have been” governor ever — Glenn Poshard, whose election would have spared us Ryan and probably also Blago, and left both political parties in much better shape than they are now.

Comment by Bookworm Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 8:37 pm
Jim Edgar. He inherited hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and, by the time he left, Illinois had a $1B surplus. He did that through principled leadership, personal charisma with voters, and, most importantly, he maintained the trust of people who may have disagreed with him politically. I came into my political being with Thompson as Governor, but since 1990, I don’t think anyone can dispute that Jim Edgar has become the measuring stick by which effective Governor’s should be measured. He was a staunch supporter of higher education, surrounded himself with highly effective and capable people, and aside from the MSI issue, was virtually clean thorughout his 8 years.

He did have his run-ins with the legislature but no one can dispute he maintained the highest degree of respect for the Office of Governor.

Comment by DzNts Wednesday, May 27, 09 @ 9:06 pm