William Stratton

William G. Stratton
32nd Governor of Illinois
In office January 12, 1953 – January 9, 1961
Lieutenant	John William Chapman
Preceded by	Adlai Stevenson
Succeeded by	Otto Kerner Jr.
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office June 23, 1957 – May 18, 1958
Preceded by	Thomas B. Stanley
Succeeded by	LeRoy Collins
52nd & 56th Treasurer of Illinois
In office January 8, 1951 – January 12, 1953
Governor	Adlai Stevenson
Preceded by	Ora Smith
Succeeded by	Elmer J. Hoffman
In office January 11, 1943 – January 8, 1945
Governor	Dwight H. Green
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	Constituency abolished
In office January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943
Preceded by	John Martin Thomas Smith
Succeeded by	Stephen A. Day
Personal details
Born	(1914-02-26)February 26, 1914 Ingleside, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2001(2001-03-02) (aged 87) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place	Rosehill Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Shirley Stratton
Education	University of Arizona (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1945–1946
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II

William Grant Stratton (February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001),^[1][2] known as "Billy the Kid", was the 32nd Governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961, succeeding Adlai Stevenson II in that office.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

In 1934, He married Marion Hook. They had two children, Sandra (born 1936) and Diana (born 1939). Stratton and his wife spent most of their time apart due to his hectic political schedule, and Marion became dissatisfied with the marriage. Additionally, Marion despised the political arena and expressed distaste at her husband's relatively meager salary.^[6] Although Stratten did not want a divorce, his wife Marion insisted that they end the marriage. He obtained a divorce from her on the grounds of desertion in 1949. Although Marion was granted custody of the children, they nevertheless lived with primarily with Stratton until 1952.^[7] In 1950, Stratton married Shirley Breckenridge (born 1923). They have a daughter, Nancy.^[8] His second marriage was a very happy one, and Shirley actively campaigned for her husband. The two remained married until his death.^[9]

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

Death

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:

• Stratton Lock and Dam on the Fox River near McHenry, Illinois.^[10]
• William G. Stratton State Park on the Illinois River in Morris, Illinois.^[11]
• 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.^[12]
• 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