Category Archives: Politics

Gambling rivalry, 1931

Posted on August 3, 2016 by editor

Threats to bomb one of Springfield’s most visible mansions illuminated the murky connections between city fathers and the local underworld in 1931. Machine-gun toting police officers took up guard posts at 1303 Wiggins Ave. in May 1931, in the midst … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Late-night Springfield, 1935

Posted on April 13, 2016 by editor

J. Emil Smith wrote a daily column, “Making Conversation,” for more than 28 years, starting when he became editor of the Illinois State Journal in 1930. Much of the column was made up of briefs, jokes, poems and birthday notices for friends … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Hotels & taverns, Journalism, Local government, Media, Politics, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life | Leave a comment

Prohibition referendums in Sangamon County, 1908-17

Posted on February 17, 2016 by editor

Most of Sangamon County voted itself “dry” as soon as it legally could in 1908. But it would take four referendums and nearly 10 years before the city of Springfield finally succumbed to prohibitionist sentiment. After a bitter struggle, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Local government, Politics, Race riot of 1908, Restaurants, Social life, Women | Leave a comment

‘Lawsonomy’ in Springfield

Posted on October 8, 2015 by editor

Lawsonomy was the general term for a system of philosophy, physics and economics created and promoted by an ex-baseball player and aircraft developer named Alfred W. Lawson (1869-1954). Lawsonomy’s political and economic offshoot was the Direct Credits Society, which, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Depression, Photos and photosets, Politics | Leave a comment

Paul Powell shoebox scandal

Posted on July 15, 2015 by editor

The discovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in suitcases, an attache case, loose envelopes and, of course, a shoebox within days after the October 1970 death of Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell remains clouded by confusion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Politics, Prominent figures, State government | 1 Comment

Robert Irwin (Lincoln banker & friend)

Posted on April 30, 2015 by editor

On May 18, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln wrote to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase about an “old friend who has served me all my life, and who has never before received or asked anything in return.” The friend, Robert Irwin, … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Presidents, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a comment

Springfield city charter election, 1840

Posted on April 6, 2015 by editor

Springfield officially became a city on April 6, 1840. Springfield already had been incorporated as a town in 1832. As the community grew, however, city officials – including Abraham Lincoln, who became a town board member in 1839 — asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Politics, Springfield | 1 Comment

Lithuanian radicals in Sangamon County

Posted on April 3, 2015 by editor

Excerpted from the introduction to “Leftist Lithuanians,” an entry  on the blog Lithuanians in Springfield, lllinois, written by Sandy Baksys: From the beginning of 1930s through the late 1950s, Springfield seems to have been home to the “Lithuanian Lodge,” the local … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Politics, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Political Rise of the Adamitis & Yacubasky Families

Posted on March 18, 2015 by editor

From Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois The story goes that for decades, Republican Party leader Don “Doc” Adams (Lith. Adomaitis) of Springfield exercised significant patronage power in both the public and private sectors. When Doc died in 2011 at age 75, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Hotels & taverns, Lithuanians, Politics, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life | 4 Comments

Stephen A. Douglas’ missing finger

Posted on March 10, 2015 by editor

Before he was Abraham Lincoln’s foil in the 1858 contest for U.S. Senate in Illinois and then for the presidency in 1860, Stephen A. Douglas was a regular presence and sometime resident in Springfield. Douglas also was, briefly, Lincoln’s rival … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , | 1 Comment