Paul Powell Of Illinois

Download or read book Paul Powell of Illinois written by Robert E. Hartley and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paul Powell emerged from the hill country of southern Illinois to serve in state government from 1935 until his death in 1970. His political tenure included three terms as Speaker of the Illinois House, four terms as minority leader, and two terms as secretary of state. The sponsor of hundreds of bills, he worked tirelessly for his constituents in southern Illinois. He also worked tirelessly to promote his own interests. In this first political biography of Powell, Robert E. Hartley follows the money. He tells how this man of humble origins and meager means amassed a world-class political and financial base. Part of that story is the disclosure of a personal fortune that boggled minds, including the unbelievable yarn of the $800,000 cash found in the hotel room following Powell's death. 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. Following Powell's story, Hartley takes us deep into the Illinois political world of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, a time when politicians were on an "honor system" regarding their financial holdings. This was before disclosure of political contributions, before computer records, and before public meetings laws.

Download or read book Corrupt Illinois written by Thomas J. Gradel and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2015-02-15 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public funds spent on jets and horses. Shoeboxes stuffed with embezzled cash. Ghost payrolls and incarcerated ex-governors. Illinois' culture of "Where's mine?" and the public apathy it engenders has made our state and local politics a disgrace. In Corrupt Illinois, veteran political observers Thomas J. Gradel and Dick Simpson take aim at business-as-usual. Naming names, the authors lead readers through a gallery of rogues and rotten apples to illustrate how generations of chicanery have undermined faith in, and hope for, honest government. From there, they lay out how to implement institutional reforms that provide accountability and eradicate the favoritism, sweetheart deals, and conflicts of interest corroding our civic life. Corrupt Illinois lays out a blueprint to transform our politics from a pay-to-play–driven marketplace into what it should be: an instrument of public good.

Download or read book Governor Richard Ogilvie written by Taylor Pensoneau and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 1997-12-08 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his second year in office, the Illinois Constitutional Convention produced the first new state charter in one hundred years. Ogilvie effected penal reform and was instrumental in upgrading the state's highway system. And in 1970 he established the machinery necessary to make Illinois a leader among states in the war on pollution.

Download or read book Drone Dogs written by Claude Walker and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2015-11-11 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autumn, 2017. Chicagos skies are clogged with drones. Drones which deliver tacos, tasers or terror. The Super Cyclops facial-recognition drone, incendiary Vulcan Twister and tiny Mosquito, which can inoculate, inject or irk. Due to the popular Drone-O-LimpX reality show, everyones droning: TV crews, oppo researchers, drone-peepers, gang-bangers, dronie-snapping tweens. But when a drone graphically kills a beloved giraffe, the public turns against the unrestricted industry. Big Drone battles SAFE (Skies Are For Everyone), which would ban armed drones and impose drone taxes. Epic rumbles rage in the Halls of Congress and Skies of Chicago, where a local cop and FBI agent take to the sky to end a gang drone war. Drone Dogs is a parable about technology in the hands of idiots and call for public debate about new technologies.

Download or read book The Dealmakers of Downstate Illinois written by Robert E Hartley and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2016-04-18 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner, ISHS Annual Award for a Scholarly Publication, 2017 Many people are unaware that from 1945 to 1975, downstate lawmakers dominated the Illinois political arena. In The Dealmakers of Downstate Illinois, Robert E. Hartley details the lives and contributions of three influential southern Illinois politicians, Paul Powell, Clyde Choate, and John Stelle. He describes how these “dealmakers” were able to work with Democrats and Republicans throughout the state to bring jobs and facilities to their region. Using a variety of coalitions, they maintained downstate political strength in the face of growing Chicago influence. Hartley traces the personal histories of Powell, Choate, and Stelle, shows how they teamed up to advance a downstate political agenda, and reviews their challenges and successes. Beginning with an account of early experiences, including the battlefield courage that earned Choate the Medal of Honor as well as Stelle’s World War I experience and later entrepreneurship, the book continues with an exploration of the groundwork for their collaborative legislative agenda and their roles in the growth of Southern Illinois University and the passage of income tax legislation. Hartley reviews the importance of Powell’s relationship with Governor Stratton, Choate’s leadership of the 1972 Democratic National Convention and his relationships with Governor Walker and with Chicago interests. The Dealmakers of Downstate Illinois is a vivid, straightforward tale of fighting in the legislative chambers, backstabbing behind the scenes, and trading special favors for votes in pursuit of not only personal gain but also the advancement of a regional agenda.

Download or read book Young Mr. Obama written by Edward McClelland and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-10-19 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Barack Obama's inspirational politics and personal mythology have overshadowed his fascinating history. Young Mr. Obama gives us the missing chapter: the portrait of the politician as a young leader, often too ambitious for his own good, but still equipped with a rare ability to inspire change. The route to the White House began on the streets of Chicago's South Side. Edward McClelland, a veteran Chicago journalist, tells the real story of the first black president's political education in the capital of the African American political community. Obama's touch wasn't always golden, and the unflappable and charismatic campaigner we know today nearly derailed his political career with a disastrous run for Congress in 2000. Obama learned from his mistakes, and rebuilt his public persona. Young Mr. Obama is a masterpiece of political reporting, peeling away the audacity, the T-shirts, and the inspiring speeches to craft a compelling and surpassingly readable account of how local politics shaped a national leader.

Download or read book Big Book of Saint Louis and Southern Illinois Crime written by Bill Nunes and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: