Today would have been the 112th birthday for William Stratton, who was Illinois’ governor from 1953-1961. However, he died in 2001 at the age of 87.

Stratton was born in Ingleside in 1914, and graduated from the University of Arizona when he was 20 years old. He then started a public service career and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1941. When his term ended in 1943, Stratton was elected as Illinois’ State Treasurer in 1944 before winning the House of Representatives election again in 1947. And once again, he became Illinois’ State Treasurer in 1950 after his term expired.

In the midst of that, Stratton took a break from politics to serve in the armed forces. From 1944-1946, he was a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving in World War II.

Stratton continued his upward political rise when his second term as Illinois’ State Treasurer was complete. He was a delegate at the 1952 Republican National Convention – the first of four times he would do this – and won Illinois’ 1952 Republican gubernatorial nomination before defeating Sherwood Dixon to gain the governorship.

At the end of his first term in 1956, Stratton ran for re-election, narrowly edging out Richard Austin to keep the governorship. He once again ran for re-election in 1960, but this time lost to Otto Kerner Jr.

Stratton tried running for Illinois’ 1968 Republican governor nomination as well, but lost in the primary election to Richard Ogilvie, who ended up winning the governorship. After the lost nomination, he decided to retire from politics.

During Stratton’s tenure as Illinois governor, notable achievements included securing beds for inmates in state hospitals, funding the state’s expressway system and improving state sales tax. He also was the first Illinois governor to have their cabinet include a woman.