Strattons big in Illinois politics

Perhaps no other family in the first half of the 20th century was more influential on Lake County and Illinois politics than the Stratton family of Lake Villa.

The Strattons arrived in Lake County from England in 1857. After John Stratton married Mary O'Boyle of Grant Township in 1872, they settled in the area of Lake Villa. John became Lake Villa Township's first supervisor in 1912, and his son William J. followed in his footsteps.

William J. went on to become the chairman of the Lake County Republican central committee in 1920, Illinois' first director of Conservation (1925-1928), and Secretary of State (1929-1933). But it was William J.'s son, William G., who would get the most columnar inches in newspapers.

After graduating with a degree in political science from the University of Arizona in 1934, William G. Stratton (1914-2001) returned to the Lake Villa area and worked as a salesman. During that time, he was a delegate to several Republican state conventions and in 1940 was nominated by the party for U.S. House of Representatives. At 25 years of age, he became the youngest member of the U.S. House.

In 1944, Stratton joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific Theater. When he returned home, he was again nominated for Congress and served in Washington until 1950 at which time he became the Illinois State Treasurer. Two years later, he defeated Lt. Gov. Sherwood Dixon to become the youngest man elected as Illinois governor in the 20th century at only 38 years old. He was elected to a second term in 1956. As governor, he enacted an "open house" day on which he would talk to anyone who stopped by, saying: "It serves two purposes. I meet the people and they meet me."

Stratton's opponents considered him an upstart and labeled him "Billy the Kid," but he was soon touted as having done what former governors had failed to do. Gov. Stratton strengthened the Chicago Crime Commission, passed new mind safety code, and reapportioned the state's legislative districts. Conversely, Stratton wiped out an increase in truck licensing fees and cut the state welfare budget by 8 percent.

He is probably best known for building the economic backbone of the state by planning for O'Hare International Airport, McCormick Place, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and building 7,000 miles of new roads. Stratton also spoke out against racial discrimination and appointed the first African-American to the governor's cabinet -- Joseph Bibb of Chicago.

• Diana Dretske, author of "Lake County, Illinois: An Illustrated History" is the collections coordinator for the Lake County Discovery Museum. The Lake County Discovery Museum, a department of the Lake County Forest Preserves, is an award-winning regional history museum on Route 176, west of Fairfield Road near Wauconda. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Call (847) 968-3400 for information.