Claudius Ulysses Stone (May 11, 1879 – November 13, 1957) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Biography

Born on a farm in Menard County, near

Greenview, Illinois Greenview is a village in Menard County, Illinois, United States. The population was 745 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Greenview was laid out in October 1857 by Menard County ...

, Stone attended the rural school and Western Normal College,

Bushnell, Illinois Bushnell is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,718 at the 2020 census, down from 3,117 in 2010. Geography Bushnell is located in northeastern McDonough County. Illinois state routes 9 and 41 pass throu ...

. At the age of seventeen, Stone became a teacher in the Bee Grove rural school in Menard County for one year. He was the

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

of Brimfield (Illinois) Public Schools for two years. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, he served as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in Company K, Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, from May 1898 to May 1899 with service in Cuba. He studied law at the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, Washington, D.C. Stone was elected county

superintendent of schools In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principal ...

for

Peoria County, Illinois Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria metropolitan area. History Peoria County w ...

, in 1902, reelected in 1906, and served until 1910. He served as president of the Association of County Superintendents of Schools of Illinois in 1909. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1909 and commenced practice in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

. Stone was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Sixty-second, Sixty-third, and Sixty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1916 to the Sixty-fifth Congress. He was the

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Peoria from 1917 until he resigned in October 1920 to practice law. He served as master in chancery of the circuit court of

from June 5, 1928, to January 20, 1945. He was editor and publisher of the '' Peoria Star'' from 1938 until 1949. He died in

, November 13, 1957. He was interred in Parkview Memorial Cemetery. His son, Claude "Bud" Stone was a member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

from 2001 to 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Claudius Ulysses 1879 births 1957 deaths American newspaper publishers (people) School superintendents in Illinois People from Menard County, Illinois Politicians from Peoria, Illinois Illinois postmasters University of Michigan Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Journalists from Illinois Schoolteachers from Illinois 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives