Donald E. Stephens (March 13, 1928 – April 18, 2007) was the first village president (

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

) of

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018), ...

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 ...

, US. He was also a leading

Republican

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Biography

Stephens, born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, is believed to have been the longest-serving mayor in the United States at the time of his death. He was in the middle of serving his thirteenth consecutive four-year term as mayor of the suburban

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

; he almost exceeded the Illinois record for longest-serving mayor, set by Frank Caliper of Colp. Stephens had served as Rosemont’s mayor since the town’s incorporation in 1956. Prior to that, he had been the president of the homeowner's association of the neighborhood that later became known as Rosemont. During his tenure, Rosemont grew from a tiny community of only 85 to one of Illinois' most politically important communities, with over 4,000 residents as well as the nation's tenth-largest convention center. Stephens also oversaw the construction of the 18,500-seat

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, northwest of Chicago, located at the corner of Mannheim Road and Lunt Avenue, just north of Mannheim Road's interchange with the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway ( I-90) ...

(formerly the Rosemont Horizon) and the Rosemont Theatre. Stephens was also an avid collector of

Hummel figurines Hummel figurines (also known as M.I. Hummel figurines or simply Hummels) are a series of porcelain figurines based on the drawings of Maria Innocentia Hummel. History The sketch art of Maria Innocentia Hummel began to appear in the 1930s in Germa ...

and established a museum holding his collection in Rosemont. The Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels claims to be the largest public display of Hummel figurines in the world. Stephens died in Rosemont on April 18, 2007, of complications of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

. His son Brad succeeded him as mayor.

Controversy

Stephens' political career was dogged by accusations of association with

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

, which led to the only major political defeat in his career: the revocation of a state-issued casino license for Rosemont. In 1983, Stephens was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...

, in separate prosecutions, for tax fraud and bribery, but was acquitted on both charges. Federal authorities investigated him multiple times throughout his career.

References

External links

Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Donald E. 1928 births 2007 deaths Mayors of places in Illinois Politicians from Chicago Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States People from Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont, Illinois Deaths from cancer in Illinois Illinois Republicans 20th-century Illinois politicians