William Stratton

William Grant Stratton (February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001), was an American politician who served as the 32nd governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961.

Born February 26, 1914 in Ingleside, Lake County, Illinois, the son of William J. Stratton, an Illinois politician and former Secretary of State, and Zula Van Wormer Stratton, he served two non-consecutive terms as an at-large representative from Illinois after he was elected in 1940 and 1946.

At 26, he was the youngest member of the 77th Congress.

Following this two year term, he was elected State Treasurer.

Mr. Stratton was educated in the public schools of Lake County, Illinois and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1934 with a degree in Political Science.

In 1934, Stratton married Marion Hook.

They had two children, Sandra (born 1936) and Diana (born 1939).

Stratton and his wife spent most of their time apart because of his hectic political schedule, and Marion became dissatisfied with the marriage.

Also, Marion despised the political arena and expressed distaste at her husband's relatively meager salary.

Although Stratton did not want a divorce, his wife insisted that they end the marriage.

He was first elected to the United States Congress from the state at-large in 1940.

He was elected State Treasurer in 1942 and 1950.

In 1944 he volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations in World War II.

He joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a lieutenant from 1944 to 1946.

Returning to civilian life in 1946, he was elected to the U.S. Congress from the state-at-large for a second time.

While in Congress he served on the following committees; Banking and Currency, Flood Control, Civil Service and District of Columbia.

He obtained a divorce from her on the grounds of desertion in 1949.

In 1950 he was elected State Treasurer for a second term.

Mr. Stratton reduced substantially the cost of operating this office during his administration.

After his military service, Stratton returned to politics, serving as a delegate to the 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1976 Republican National Conventions.

He won the Republican nomination for governor in 1952 and defeated Lieutenant Governor Sherwood Dixon to become the youngest governor in America at the time.

In 1953, he received the annual alumni award from his alma mater.

He holds honorary degrees from the University of Arizona, Bradley University, Lincoln Memorial University, Elmhurst, North Central and Shurtlell Colleges and John Marshall Law School.

Mr. Stratton was inaugurated as the 32nd Governor of Illinois on January 12, 1953.

At 38, he was the youngest man to hold this office in 70 years.

He served on the Executive Committee of the Governors' Conference and in 1955 brought the annual meeting of the nation's governors to Illinois for the first time in history.

He was re-elected to a second term in 1956.

Stratton was re-elected governor in 1956.

In 1957, Governor Stratton was named chairman of the Governors' Conference, and served as president of the Council of State governments in 1958.

President Eisenhower, in 1958, named Governor Stratton a member of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial commission and in 1959, Mr. Stratton was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and in the latter year led the Illinois delegation as its chairman.

In 1959, he was a member of the group of American Governors which visited Russia.

He was a candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President in 1960.

The Illinois governor has been instrumental in developing Governors' Conference programs in the fields of highway construction, traffic safety, and federal state governmental relations.

in 1960, he ran for an unprecedented third consecutive term, but was defeated by Democrat Otto Kerner, Jr.

After running unsuccessfully for a third term, Stratton left office on January 9, 1961.

Stratton was acquitted on charges of tax evasion in 1965.

In 1968, he ran in the Republican primary for Governor and was defeated by Richard B. Ogilvie.

Stratton finished a distant third, with only about seven percent of the primary vote.

Mr. Stratton considered the construction of the first 200 miles of the Illinois tollway system as one of his biggest achievements, his wife, Shirley, said in a telephone interview.

During his tenure, state hospital reforms were instituted that included beds for inmates, a bond issue was approved that funded the state’s expressway system, the first woman was chosen in a cabinet level status, and an improved state sales tax was initiated and used in school programs.