Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1989

Thesis Director

Raymond L. Koch

Abstract

Len Small, governor of Illinois from 1921 to 1929, was a politician associated with the Lorimer-Lundin-Thompson political machine which influenced Illinois politics from 1897 until the late 1920s. During that era, Small held offices in the county and in the state Senate. He served one appointed term as United States subtreasurer, two terms as state treasurer, and two terms as governor. Small ran six times for governor: 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936. He came to the governorship in 1920 following a bitter feud between his patron, William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson and Frank O. Lowden. As a result, Small inherited much of the acrimony that divided the rival Republican factions and became the target for political revenge. That revenge took its most dramatic form in the indictment and arrest of Small, the only Illinois governor ever to be arrested while actually serving in office. Small was charged with conspiracy to use state money for his own personal profit during his term as treasurer from 1917 to 1919. From 1921 until 1927, while conducting the business of the state, Small had to contend with two trials: one, a criminal trial that ended abruptly in 1922 with an acquittal; and second, a longer, civil suit, which extended from 1921 until its final settlement in 1927. It is the thesis of this paper that Small was treated unfairly in the trials and, to the extent that they contribute to the generally low regard in which Small and his administration have been held, Small's reputation has been misrepresented.

Chapter 1 indicates that Small was a hardworking, enterprising, honest business man who, by most standards, earned the respect of his community and was regarded as a valuable citizen. The purpose of the chapter is to indicate that Small's personal reputation for honesty had been tried in many settings—in agricultural work and agricultural societies, in the running of a major agricultural fair in Kankakee, in the formation of a bank and a newspaper, in real estate ventures, in running the United States Subtreasury in Chicago for President Taft where he handled millions of dollars, and in two terms as state treasurer. While some of this material comes from county histories, much of it is primary sources from a vertical file in the Kankakee County Historical Society Museum housed on Len Small's father's estate, from the Len Small Papers in the Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield, and from newspaper accounts.

Chapter 2 indicates that much of the tarnish on Small's reputation came from boss politics and his political associations which were originally tied to Governor John R. Tanner and, later, to William Lorimer and Lorimer's associates, William Hale Thompson and Fred Lundin. The focus is on boss politics, reform and Progressive politics, rival Republican factions, and the shifting nature of political alliances in gubernatorial elections from 1900 to1920. Several secondary sources cover these events. The primary sources presented in this thesis relate the details of Small's 1912 campaign and his 1920 campaign.

Chapter 3 centers on the indictment and arrest of Len Small in 1921. It is based largely on primary sources taken from newspaper articles and the Len Small Papers in the Illinois State Historical Library. The chapter indicates how Small's enemies, the Edward J. Brundage faction of the Republican party and the Chicago Tribune, used this incident to humiliate and hamper him as governor.

Chapter 4 focuses on the two trials. Much of the trial evidence is examined together with a summary of other political incidents which occurred during the trials. There is a straightforward explanation of the rather complicated transactions which shows, from Small's viewpoint, how and why he made his decisions as treasurer. A great deal of the evidence in this chapter comes from the testimony and legal motions found in the Supreme Court Abstract of Record and in the Supreme Court case reported in Illinois Reports for 1926. References are made to the opening and closing arguments of the attorneys. Finally, there is a critical analysis made of the final court decision, which, on the basis of the dissenting opinions, contends that Small did not receive a fair ruling.

Here and there, references are made to Small's actions as a machine politician—his influence on legislation, the appointments of family members, the creation of special commissions, the pardoning of criminals, and the patronage for machine members—but there is no comprehensive presentation of this evidence. Likewise, no effort was made to describe the accomplishments of Small's regime, although there are references showing where these may be found.

Download

Share

COinS