Adlai III: An unappreciated gem

Adlai Stevenson III, former Illinois State Legislator, Treasurer, and Illinois U.S. Senator died yesterday at 90.

Most Americans, indeed most Illinoisans, have largely forgotten a political leader with little charisma but great intelligence and passion for good government. In a society where a huckster reality TV star with enormous charisma can con 75 million voters to follow him to the political abyss, we would be well served to ponder Stevenson’s career.

Born into Illinois’ Stevenson political dynasty, Adlai III was great grandson of Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson and son of Illinois governor and two time presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson II.

I still remember the 1964 Illinois Legislative election when all 177 House seats were elected at large due to a redistricting controversy. Each party ran 118 candidates but only 2 names stood out, garnering the most votes for their respective party’s slate: Republican Earl Eisenhower, Ike’s brother, and Democrat Adlai III, the former governor’s son. Eisenhower served a single term and faded from view with no political legacy.

Adlai III, however, was the real deal. In his first 2 years he sponsored 84 bills, including measures to control lobbying and conflicts of interest in government, a graduated state income tax and credit reforms. Those efforts got him voted the House’s ‘best legislator’ by the Independent Voters of IL. Not bad for a rookie.

Adlai III moved up to State Treasurer in 1967. He turned a routine political post as an incubator for good government. He eliminated patronage staff and snatched state funds away from banks practicing racial or religious discrimination. Those funds went to black owned banks to finance urban development, small businesses and urban development.

In 1970, Stevenson won a special election to fill out the U.S. Senate term of Everett Dirksen who died. He opposed the Viet Nam War, even introducing legislation to end all foreign aid to South Vietnam by June 30, 1975. He authored the International Banking Act, the Stevenson Wydler Technology Innovation Act and the Bayh Dole Act to foster cooperative research. Stevenson served as first Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and served as chairman of the Special Senate Committee that reorganized the Senate. As chairman of a Senate Subcommittee on Intelligence, he conducted the first in-depth study of terrorism. In it he warned of “spectacular acts of destruction and disruption."

After the Senate, Stevenson ran and lost twice for Illinois governor to Jim Thompson. In 1980 he toyed with running for president against unpopular incumbent Jimmy Carter. But he wouldn’t enter the primaries explaining, “It’s not the kind of contest I could win. The chemistry is all wrong, down to and including the cosmetics. It just doesn’t fit.”

In the age of Trump and his hollow sycophants running for and defiling public office, we need folks of substance like Adlai III more than ever.