Francis Stanley Lorenz (September 4, 1914 – June 26, 2008) was an American jurist and politician.

Early life and career

Born in

Chicago, Illinois 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 ...

, Lorenz received his bachelor's degree in law from

DePaul University College of Law DePaul University College of Law is the law school of DePaul University, a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 125 full- and part-time faculty members and enrolls more than 500 students in its Juri ...

and was admitted to the Illinois bar. He served as an assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago in the 1940s.

Politics

He was elected Clerk of the

Superior Court of Cook County The Superior Court of Cook County was a court in Cook County, Illinois, which existed (under different names) from 1845 up until Cook County's courts were merged in 1964 to form the current incarnation of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The cou ...

in 1956 and

Cook County Treasurer The Cook County treasurer is the treasurer of county government in Cook County, Illinois Office description The Cook County treasurer oversees the second-largest system of property tax collection and distribution in the United States. The inaug ...

in 1958 and was 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 ...

. In 1961, Illinois Governor

Otto Kerner, Jr. Otto Kerner Jr. (August 15, 1908 – May 9, 1976) was an American jurist and politician. He served as the List of Governors of Illinois, 33rd governor of Illinois from 1961 to 1968 and chaired the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders ...

appointed Lorenz

Illinois Treasurer The Treasurer of Illinois is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Seventy-four individuals have occupied the office of Treasurer since statehood. The incumbent is Mike Frerichs, a Democ ...

to fill a vacancy, when Joseph D. Lohman resigned from office to take a teaching position. In 1962, Lorenz was an unsuccessful candidate for election, losing to Republican nominee and banker William J. Scott. After Lorenz's loss, Kerner appointed Lorenz director of the Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings effective January 1963. He served as director until 1967.

Judicial career

In 1970, Lorenz was elected a judge of the

Illinois Appellate Court The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases rising in the Illinois circuit courts. In Illinois, litigants generally have a right to first appeal from final decisions or judgements of the circuit court ...

. From 1970 to 1992, Lorenz served in that position in the fifth division. In 1980, Lorenz was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the judiciary of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the fiv ...

, losing to fellow Appellate Court Judge

Seymour Simon Seymour Frank Simon (August 10, 1915 – September 26, 2006) was an American lawyer, Appellate Court and Supreme Court Justice in Illinois, and City Council member (alderman) in Chicago, Illinois. Life Simon was born in Chicago, and grew up in t ...

. While a justice, he was a member of the Illinois Courts Commission and as a member of the 1st District Appellate Court's executive committee. In 1992, William Cousins succeeded Lorenz as an appellate court judge.

Death

He died in

Barrington, Illinois Barrington is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Lake County, Illinois, Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 10,722 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A northwest suburb of Chicago, the area featu ...

of pneumonia at age 93.'Retired Illinois appeals Judge Francis S. Lorenz dies at age 93-Public service career includes Chicago city lawyer, Cook County treasurer and state transportation chief,' Chicago Tribune, Mary Owens, July 2, 2008

Notes

1914 births 2008 deaths Politicians from Chicago DePaul University College of Law alumni Illinois Democrats Judges of the Illinois Appellate Court State treasurers of Illinois State cabinet secretaries of Illinois 20th-century Illinois state court judges {{Illinois-politician-stub