Samuel H. Shapiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel H. Shapiro
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| 34th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office May 21, 1968 – January 13, 1969 |
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| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Otto Kerner Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Richard B. Ogilvie |
| 38th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 9, 1961 – May 21, 1968 |
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| Governor | Otto Kerner Jr. |
| Preceded by | John William Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Paul M. Simon (1969) |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1947–1961 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Israel Shapiro
April 25, 1907 Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire |
| Died | March 16, 1987 (aged 79) Kankakee, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Judaism |
Samuel Harvey Shapiro (born Israel Shapiro) was an important American politician. He was the 34th Governor of Illinois from 1968 to 1969. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Shapiro was born on April 25, 1907, and passed away on March 16, 1987.
Early Life and Career
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Samuel Shapiro was born in 1907 in Estonia, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He moved to the United States when he was young. He studied law at the University of Illinois College of Law. After becoming a lawyer, Shapiro worked in Kankakee, Illinois.
Shapiro began his public service career in 1936. He was elected as the state's attorney (a county prosecutor) for Kankakee County. From 1947 to 1961, he served in the Illinois State House of Representatives. During this time, he was very interested in helping people with mental health issues.
Becoming Governor of Illinois
In 1960, Shapiro was elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He was re-elected in 1964. He became governor in 1968 when the previous governor, Otto Kerner, Jr., left office. Kerner became a judge in a federal court.
Shapiro was the second Jewish governor of Illinois. The first was Henry Horner. Illinois was the first state to have two Jewish governors. Other states like New York and Oregon have also had more than one Jewish governor since then.
After His Time as Governor
After becoming governor, Shapiro ran for a full term of his own. However, he was narrowly defeated by Richard B. Ogilvie in the 1968 election. After this, he returned to his private life.
He was sometimes asked to serve on special groups. One important group helped to redraw the state's voting district maps in 1981.
Shapiro was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. From 1984 until he passed away, he worked to create a permanent main office for the fraternity. Today, Alpha Epsilon Pi's International Headquarters is named in his honor.
Shapiro continued to work as a lawyer. He passed away in 1987 in Kankakee, Illinois. He is buried in Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. The state of Illinois renamed the Kankakee Mental Health Center in his honor.
See also
- List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
