Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Other states
Next Post: First med-mar hurdle cleared with GOP votes
Posted in:
* Ted McClelland has an interesting little timeline of what our governors of the past 100 years did before getting the state’s top job…
Pat Quinn: Cook County Board of Tax Appeals, state treasurer, lieutenant governor.
Rod Blagojevich: state representative, U.S. representative
George Ryan: Kankakee County Board, state representative, House speaker. lieutenant governor, secretary of state
Jim Edgar: state representative, secretary of state
Jim Thompson: U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois
Daniel Walker: Law clerk to Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, aide to Gov. Adlai Stevenson
Richard Ogilvie: Cook County Sheriff, Cook County Board President
Samuel Shapiro: Kankakee County state’s attorney, state representative, lieutenant governor
Otto Kerner: U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, Cook County Circuit Court judge
William Stratton: U.S. representative, state treasurer
Adlai Stevenson: assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, U.S. delegate to the United Nations
Dwight H. Green: U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois
John H. Stelle: state treasurer, lieutenant governor
Henry Horner: probate judge
Louis L. Emmerson: secretary of state
Len Small: state senator, state treasurer
Frank Lowden: U.S. representative
Edward F. Dunne: mayor of Chicago
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:06 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Other states
Next Post: First med-mar hurdle cleared with GOP votes
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
really interesting - most interesting to me is the perpetual notion that IL Attorney General is a stepping stone to Governor, but none on this list was ever AG
Also - only one Mayor of Chicago
Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:20 am
Lots of folks from either the US Attorney’s office of the judiciary.
Comment by John Galt Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:20 am
That’s OR the judiciary.
Comment by John Galt Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:23 am
Private sector employees need not apply
Comment by Stones Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:24 am
I didn’t know a governor had been mayor of Chicago. I’ll have to read up on Edward Dunne.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:26 am
Stevenson wasn’t at the UN until after he was governor.
Comment by Dirty Red Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:31 am
No hedge fund managers or dairy kings?
Comment by walkinfool Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:35 am
Doesn’t bode we’ll for Rauner if history is a guide.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:36 am
Ditto what Dirty Red said.
Comment by Brendan Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:38 am
“Private sector employees need not apply”
Wasn’t George Ryan a pharmacist before he was any of that other stuff? And weren’t some, perhaps most, of the others private practice attorneys before they were public officials?
Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:40 am
It would be interesting to see, what they did AFTER they left office!
Comment by South of I-80 Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:40 am
DR, Stevenson was on the commission that founded the UN was in the U.S. delegations prior to being elected governor.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:41 am
- South of I-80 - Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:40 am:
It would be interesting to see, what they did AFTER they left office!
In some cases 3 to 5 years in jail…..
Comment by Old and in the Way Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:44 am
Who will be the next governor who was a mayor of Chicago? Or a mayor anywhere in the state for that matter?
Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:00 pm
South of I-80: I don’t know if this was before or after his was governor, but Henry Horner wrote a great treatise, “Horner on Decedent’s Estates in Illinois” that is (updated) still in use today and still bears his name. They probably didn’t have the pensions then that they do today, so he needed to keep working!
Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:03 pm
One time Chicago mayor Edward Dunne was a one termer who was elected in 1912 solely because the GOP had two candidates–a ’stalwart’ and a ‘progressive’ just like in the Presidential election where Roosevelt and Taft split the GOP vote allowing Woodrow Wilson to win. The GOP handily kicked Dunne to the curb in 1916 when they again had only 1 candidate.
train111
Comment by train111 Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:09 pm
Why not try giving a private citizen a chance?
Comment by state employee Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:20 pm
Wow, two held positions with Kankakee County, vs. three with the much larger Cook County and one with City of Chicago. This should put another gleam in Dad’s eye from yesterday’s thread.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:27 pm
@state employee…looks like you will get a chance to vote for Bruce Raunner in the R primary if you dare to pull a R ballot, LOL!
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:28 pm
As Governor, Dunne also gave women the right to vote in 1913. He was a big advocate of public utility ownership, and as mayor, founded the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Famously, he refused to shut down the brothels in the Levee District under the theory that if such activities were contained in one area, it would be easier to control, thus earning him the wrath of “do-gooders” that followed him throughout his career. He also founded the Irish Fellowship Society, and an organization to
shut down the Ku Klux Klan.
Comment by first warder Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:35 pm
Walker sticks out to me. A law clerk . . . then an aide?
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:37 pm
Did not know that, slinger. Thanks!
Comment by Dirty Red Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:47 pm
I don’t think Dunne gave women the right to vote. He didn’t veto the bill.
Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:49 pm
A functional GOP would beg Patrick Fitzgerald to run for governor.
Comment by Boone Logan Square Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:13 pm
Don’t think Walker jumped from Aide to Gov. ,
Think ,inbetween , he was CEO at Montgomery Ward.
And he headed a Commission to Investigate Police Brutality in Chacago a result of the infamous Dem. Nat. Convention.
Then Gov.
Comment by x ace Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:33 pm
=== Why not try giving a private citizen a chance? ===
1. Public officials are private citizens.
2. As pointed out, many (if not all) held some sort of private sector job prior to public office.
3. Someone from the private sector has to run and the electorate have to elect him or her.
Comment by Just Observing Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:54 pm
Actually Dan Walker was the General Counsel at Montgomery Wards.
Comment by david vite Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:16 pm
There is a fair single volume biography of Dunne (Frank Lowden, who had presidential aspirations until he crossed Bill Thompson, has a two volume biography). When Dunne was the last mayor to serve a two year term. He narrowly lost a primary race to Harrison to return to the mayoralty in 1911 and his gubernatorial campaign benefited between a split between the Republican Regulars and the Progressives (when the Progressives were playing on the GOP side of the fence).
Dunne was a proponent of voter initiatives, referenda, and recalls, but those ideas stalled in the General Assembly and missed by one vote.
To round out the past century (going back to 1900), Charles S. Deneen was an attorney for the Sanitary District and served two terms as Cook County State’s Attorney before becoming governor. Later, he was a US Senator. Richard Yates was a legacy candidate who became governor because his father was a well liked former governor, among other things. Yates later served in the Congress.
Comment by Esquire Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:17 pm
@Cheryl 44:
Dunne was in office when women received the right to vote, but, for a brief time, women were allowed to vote only in state and local elections. National suffrage came about a short time later.
Comment by Esquire Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:19 pm
“Wow, two held positions with Kankakee County, vs. three with the much larger Cook County and one with City of Chicago. This should put another gleam in Dad’s eye from yesterday’s thread.”
Yes, but there were three from Kankakee, Ryan, Shapiro, Small. Didn’t Small go to jail too?
Interesting that all had some govt. experience before gov.
Comment by frustrated GOP Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:38 pm
“Didn’t Small go to jail too?”
No, but he should have!
Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:53 pm
Cool stuff, Rich.
Many ways to become governor, no clear road map, but can someone point out to me, any IL Atty Generals?
So Lisa could make more history if she ran and won.
I know some states that IS the natural … not so here according to that list. US Attorney, 3, AG, 0.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:57 pm
Henry horner wrote the book prior to being governor. He died in office.
Comment by Publius Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:12 pm
Extremely intriguing breakdown. Viewed differently, in terms of breakdown of these 18 Governors, interestingly, the biggest group–13 of these 18–served in a past position as at least one of the following: either a Statewide Elective Post (e.g. Lt. Gov. or Sec. of State, etc.), U.S. Rep. or U.S. Attorney. 2 of them had as one of their main, previous careers a position in the Courts/Judicial Branch (1 as Law Clerk and 1 as Probate Judge). Interestingly, for all of the hype the following positions get in the Media, only 2 of them ever served as a previously-elected Executive of a major, local Government Entity in Illinois (1 as Mayor of Chicago, 1 as Cook Co. Board President). And, finally, only 1–Adlai Stevenson–had his background exclusively in U.S. Political Posts!
One last point–the 2 posts which MOST OFTEN, 4 TIMES to be exact, which led to that man at some point in the last Century to eventually become Governor of Illinois? Lieutenant Governor and State Treasurer (albeit 3 of those Treasurers held those Posts WELL-over 50 years ago)…whadya know? Go figure….
Nevertheless, does that undeniable statistic thus suggest that somewhere down the line a greater likelihood, then, that the Land of Lincoln may very wel yet be seeing a Sheila Simon, Dan Rutherford, or yes, even, Judy Baar Topinka, as one of our future Governors?!!! Or, who among you may become one of the Prairie State’s FUture Lt. Govs., Treasurers, and someday…??? Why not go make your plans now???
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:21 pm
I stand corrected myself–former State Representatives are ALSO tied at 4 of them becoming future Governors, too, (+ with the one former State Senator, 5 of the future Govs. served in one or the other Branch of our Legislature, the REAL “Background Post” Winner! So…I guess this may mean you can never start out too small in Illinois Politics, ey? Who knows where it could lead to?!!!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:26 pm
Len Small beat the rap and the most of the individuals from the jury that acquitted him wound up with state jobns. Blagoof holds no candle to Small.
train111
Comment by train111 Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:29 pm
And Len’s family still owns the local paper, and several other downstate news outlets.
http://www.sngnews.com/getPub.djp?p=history
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:49 pm
The last two republican governors (Edgar & Ryan) held other statewide offices, so, if Treasurer Rutherford runs, he’s the Republican who is most likely to win. I might not support him, since I don’t know enough of his views.
Comment by Conservative Veteran Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 8:18 pm
Quite a few Attorney Generals tried to become Governor, but came up short in the primaries or the general elections.
Comment by Esquire Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 9:28 pm