Illinois one of few states with a prison governor's wing - okay thats a joke. But: Half of Illinois Governors have gone to jail since the 1970's
In light of the recent jury verdict on the Blago trial, I got to thinking about the corrupt politicians.
Since the 1970's, Illinois has had 8 governors. Four of these governors have gone to prison on charges related to corruption.
1. Otto Kerner
Term: 1961-1968; followed by a term as a Judge on the US Court of Appeals-7th Circuit, nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Party: Democrat
The crime: Taking bribes from the manager, Marge Lindheimer Everett of Arlington Race Track. Arlington wanted two expressway exits. Kerner received stock in exchange for the exits. How did Kerner get caught? Everett deducted the bribe on his tax returns thinking that bribes were part and parsal of doing business in Illinois.
The conviction: Bribery, tax evasion, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges
2. Dan Walker
Term: 1973-1977
Party: Democrat
The crime: Committed several improprieties involving the First American Savings and Loan Association of Oak Brook. It is speculated that Walker received over $1 million in fraudulent loans to for his other business and repairs to the Governor's Lady, his yacht.
The conviction
3. George Ryan
Term: 1999-2003
Party: Republican
The crime:
"Mr. Ryan steered contracts worth millions of dollars to friends and took payments and vacations in return. When he was a sitting governor, he lied to the F.B.I. about this conduct and then he went out and did it again." He charged that one of the most egregious aspects of the corruption was Ryan's action after learning that bribes were being paid for licenses. Instead of ending the practice he tried to end the investigation that had uncovered it, Fitzgerald said, calling the moment "a low-water mark for public service."
The conviction: Corruption
4. Rod Blagojevich
Term: 2003-2009
Party: Democrat
Charges: Federal corruption charges (e.g. conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery).
The Conviction: Found guilty on 17 of the charges. "He was found guilty on all charges pertaining to the senate seat, however he was acquitted on a charge pertaining to the tollway extortion. Each count holds a max of twenty years in prison, and sentencing should begin within the next few months."
Honorable Mention:
William Stratton--who was indicted for tax evasion, but later acquitted. Stratton was the governor from 1953-1961
What a pedigree
Sources:
huffingtonpost.com
seoblackhat.com
en.wikipedia.org
chicagonow.com
Then there's this guy: He died and his secretary found his closet filled with shoe boxes stuffed with cash:
Paul Powell: The Illinois Democrat Who Died With $800,000 In His Shoebox
Paul Powell: The Illinois Democrat Who Died With $800,000 In His Shoebox
OK, OK, there was really more than just one shoebox. I'll let Seth explain:
Paul Powell was born in Vienna, Illinois on January 21, 1902. He was a big wheel in the Illinois Democratic Party since WWII. Eventually, he became Illinois Secretary of State during the same year I was born, 1965. In 1966, his office was investigated for corruption; he was exonerated, but his chief investigator was indicted for theft of state funds. He was still in office when he died in Rochester, Minnesota on October 10, 1970. Shortly thereafter, a shoebox full of money was found in his room at the St. Nicholas Hotel here in Springfield—the infamous cache.
The famous Paul Powell shoebox was actually more than one box, and not all were shoeboxes. There were also metal boxes, briefcases, and envelopes. This treasure trove—roughly $800,000 in cash—was discovered two days after he died, when Powell's staff and his estate executor gathered his belongings from the hotel room and storage area. The other, less famous findings included 49 cases of whiskey, 14 transistor radios, and two cases of creamed corn. This guy was prepared; for what, I don't know.
Outrage? Hardly. An excerpt from The Southern Illinoisan:
"We just assume politics is corrupt and a little bit of corruption is the cost of doing business," said Kent Redfield, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Springfield. That was certainly the attitude toward former Secretary of State Paul Powell, owner of the mysterious cash-stuffed shoeboxes.
"Paul did a lot of good things for southern Illinois, including helping to build the university I work at," said Mike Lawrence, the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
So when those shoeboxes were found in Powell's home when he died in 1970, it raised some eyebrows but not much ire. "People were surprised about the amount of money," Lawrence said of the cache that neither Powell nor anyone else ever explained. "But there was sort of a sense if he gave us our share, what's wrong with him getting his share."
Paul Powell of Illinois: A Lifelong Democrat
Robert E. Hartley has written a book on this caricature of Illinois politics, published by the Southern Illinois University Press:
Powell never earned a state salary of more than $30,000 per year, yet in the last year of his life, his federal income tax return showed an income of more than $200,000. At his death his estate totaled $3.2 million, and, when settled in 1978, was worth $4.6 million, including nearly $1 million in racetrack stock.
My hometown of Belvidere, Illinois was heavily Republican (the newspaper was named the Belvidere Daily Republican) yet a number of folks would vote every election for Paul Powell for Illinois Secretary of State. They knew he was corrupt and wanted him in office when he was finally found out (obviously, he never was). I got my first drivers license in 1970 and I still remember my father making out the check to . . . well, let me make this a quiz:
Illinois Drivers License Bureau
Illinois Secretary of State's Office
Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell
Paul Powell
That's right: "Paul Powell". Now are you surprised he ended up with $800,000 in those shoeboxes?
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