Illinois. Governor (1949-1953 : Stevenson)

Dates:

Active 1734

Active 2002

Biographical notes:

Adlai E. Stevenson (1900-1965), Democratic Governor of Illinois (1949-1953), was born on Feb. 5, 1900 in Los Angeles, Calif. Stevenson received his undergraduate degree from Princeton (1922) and graduated from Northwestern Law School (1926). His career began as a reporter and editor of the family paper, the Bloomington Pantagraph. After being admitted to the Illinois bar (1926), he practiced law in Chicago (1927-1933). On Dec. 1, 1928, Stevenson married Ellen Borden, whom he later divorced. Stevenson was a special counsel to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (1933-1935); a partner in a law firm (1935-1941); Asst. Sec. of the Navy (1941-1944). As Asst. Sec. of State (1945), he worked on the creation of the United Nations and served as U.S. delegate to the U.N. General Assembly (1946 and 1947). Returning to Illinois (1948), Stevenson's landslide victory in the Governor's race created national attention and made him a potential Presidential candidate. After two unsuccessful races against Dwight Eisenhower (1952 and 1956), Stevenson became a senior partner in a Chicago law firm (1955-1960). As U.S. Representative to the U.N. (1961-1965), Stevenson served in the cabinets of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Stevenson suffered a fatal heart attack on a London street in July 1965 and is buried in Bloomington, Ill.

From the description of Adlai Ewing Stevenson correspondence, 1949-1953. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 35780688