William Stratton

William Grant Stratton
32nd Governor of Illinois
In office January 12, 1953[1] – January 9, 1961
Lieutenant	John William Chapman
Preceded by	Adlai E. Stevenson II
Succeeded by	Otto Kerner, Jr.
Illinois Treasurer
In office January 8, 1951 – January 12, 1953
Preceded by	Ora Smith
Succeeded by	Elmer J. Hoffman
In office January 11, 1943 – January 8, 1945
Preceded by	Warren Wright
Succeeded by	Conrad F. Becker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's at-large district
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	Emily Taft Douglas
Succeeded by	At-large seat abolished
In office January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943
Preceded by	John C. Martin & Thomas V. Smith
Succeeded by	Stephen A. Day
Personal details
Born	February 26, 1914 Ingleside, Illinois
Died	March 2, 2001 (aged 87) Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
Resting place	Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Shirley Stratton
Residence	Chicago, Illinois
Alma mater	University of Arizona
Occupation	Politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1945–46[2]
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II

William Grant Stratton (February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001),^[3][4] known as "Billy the Kid", was the 32nd Governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961, succeeding Adlai Stevenson II in that office.

Born February 26, 1914 in Ingleside, Lake County, Illinois, the son of William J. Stratton, an Illinois politician, and Zula Van Wormer Stratton, he served two non-consecutive terms as an at-large Congressman from Illinois, elected in 1940 and 1946. He was elected State Treasurer in 1944 and 1950. He won the Republican nomination for Governor in 1952, then defeated Lt. Governor Sherwood Dixon to become the youngest governor in America at that time.

Stratton was re-elected Governor in 1956. In 1960 he ran for an unprecedented third consecutive term, but was defeated by Democrat Otto Kerner, Jr.

Stratton was acquitted on charges of tax evasion in 1965.^[5] In 1968, he ran in the Republican primary for Governor and was defeated by Richard B. Ogilvie.

In retirement, Stratton resided in Chicago. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Illinois Civil Service Commission.

He died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on March 2, 2001, aged 87. Among his pallbearers were his successors as governor, James R. Thompson, Jim Edgar, and George Ryan.

The following are named in his honor:

• William G. Stratton Lock and Dam on the Fox River near McHenry, Illinois.
• William G. Stratton State Park on the Illinois River in Morris, Illinois.^[6]
• The William G. Stratton Building (formerly the State Office Building) in the Illinois State Capitol complex, which houses offices of many state legislators and other state agencies and was completed during his first term as governor.^[7]
• Stratton Quadrangle at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in recognition of his position as governor at the time of the university's founding. He was also the speaker at SIUE's first commencement in 1960.

References

1. Illinois Blue Book 1959–60. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State.
2. "STRATTON, William Grant, (1914–2001)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
3. "William G. Stratton, 87, Illinois' 32nd governor...". Chicago Tribune. March 11, 2001. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
4. "William Stratton; Illinois Governor, 87". The New York Times. March 5, 2001. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
5. Stratton cleared of tax dodge
6. William G. Stratton State Park, Illinois DNR
7. Cavanagh, Bob (July 15, 2004). "The Stratton Building's midlife crisis". Illinois Times. Retrieved March 1, 2010.