Charles A. Hartke
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Charles A. Hartke (May 7, 1944 – April 13, 2025) was an American politician who served as Director of the
Illinois Department of Agriculture The Illinois Department of Agriculture is the code department of the Illinois state government that regulates various facets of the agriculture industries of Illinois, oversees Illinois soil and water conservation, supervises the weights and me ...
and as a Democratic member of the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
.


Life and career

Hartke was born in
Effingham, Illinois Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is in South Central Illinois. Its population was 12,252 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Effingham micropolitan statistical area. The ...
May 7, 1944. He served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
from 1966 to 1968, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He served on the Effingham County Board from 1971 to 1974, as Effingham County Democratic Central Committee chairman from 1978 to 1985 and as president of the Effingham County Pork Producers for a period of time. He was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives February 11, 1985, to replace Richard H. Brummer, who was appointed to a judgeship. In 1997, Hartke was appointed Assistant Majority Leader. He was an elector pledged to
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
during the 2000 presidential election. In 2003,
Rod Blagojevich Rod R. Blagojevich ( ; born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nickname "Blago", is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Blagojevich previously worked ...
appointed him Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. William J. Grunloh was appointed to succeed him in the Illinois House of Representatives. He officially stepped down from the position February 29, 2008. Hartke died on April 13, 2025, at the age of 80.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartke, Charles A. 1944 births 2025 deaths People from Effingham, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois County board members in Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War 2000 United States presidential electors