William Stratton

William Grant Stratton
32nd Governor of Illinois
In office
January 12, 1953[1] – January 9, 1961
LieutenantJohn William Chapman
Preceded byAdlai E. Stevenson II
Succeeded byOtto Kerner, Jr.
Illinois State Treasurer
In office
January 8, 1951 – January 12, 1953
Preceded byOra Smith
Succeeded byElmer J. Hoffman
In office
January 11, 1943 – January 8, 1945
Preceded byWarren E. Wright
Succeeded byConrad 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 byEmily Taft Douglas
Succeeded byAt-large seat abolished
In office
January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943
Preceded byJohn C. Martin & Thomas V. Smith
Succeeded byStephen A. Day
Personal details
Born(1914-02-26)February 26, 1914
Ingleside, Illinois
DiedMarch 2, 2001(2001-03-02) (aged 87)
Chicago, Illinois
Resting placeRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Shirley Stratton
ResidenceChicago, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Arizona
OccupationPolitician
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1945–46[2]
RankLieutenant
Battles/warsWorld 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.

Stratton was born on February 26, 1914 in Ingleside, Lake County, Illinois.

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.

Stratton died on March 2, 2001 from natural causes in Chicago, Illinois from natural causes, aged 87.

  1. Illinois Blue Book 1959–60. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State.[permanent dead link]
  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. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. 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

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