Henry Horner (November 30, 1878 – October 6, 1940) was an American politician. Horner served as the
28th Governor of Illinois, serving from January 1933 until his death in October 1940. Horner was noted as the first Jewish governor of
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 ...
.
Early life
Horner was born Henry Levy to Solomon Abraham Levy and Dilah Horner 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 ...
. He assumed the Horner surname after his parents divorced in 1883. He attended the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. Horner attended
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and received his LLB in 1898. Horner was a lawyer and served as a probate judge from 1915 to 1931.
Political career
First elected governor in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, Horner served during the difficult years of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. Because of a fiscal crisis in Illinois during his first term in office, he was forced to ask the General Assembly for new
tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
revenue. In 1933, he signed Illinois's first permanent
sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
law into effect with an inaugural rate of 2.0%. Horner also signed a bill in 1935 increasing the Illinois sales tax rate to 3.0%.
Horner's administration was marked by integrity and a strong commitment to both conservative fiscal management and the needs of the indigent and those in state institutions. His insistence on stopping graft and keeping state payrolls free of non-working patronage appointees put him at odds with the Democratic political organization of Chicago run by Patrick Nash and Mayor
Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly (May 1, 1876October 20, 1950) was an American politician who served as the 46th Mayor of Chicago from April 17, 1933, until April 15, 1947.
Prior to being mayor of Chicago, Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago Sani ...
. They backed a rival candidate in the
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
primary,
Herman Bundesen
Herman Niels Bundesen (April 27, 1882August 25, 1960) was a German-American medical professional, politician, and author. He served two tenures as the chief health official of the city of Chicago, holding this role for more than 34 years in tota ...
, the President of the Chicago Board of Public Health and a well-known physician, who carried Cook County, but whom Horner defeated with the help of a large downstate vote.
Horner went on to win re-election in November 1936 and was now determined to defeat the Kelly-
Nash machine. He supported the election of
Scott W. Lucas to the Senate in 1938 to succeed retiring incumbent
William H. Dieterich, who had proven to be anti-Semitic and somewhat pro-German.
Later life
Horner suffered a stroke four days before the November election and spent five months recovering in Florida before returning to Illinois, too late to mount the campaign he had wanted to lead against the re-election of Mayor Kelly. Horner's health wavered over the next year until a collapse in the summer of 1940. He convalesced in Winnetka and
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban city located in southeastern Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipali ...
from June 1940 until his death, in early October. Horner was succeeded by his fellow Democrat, Lt. Governor
John H. Stelle. Horner was a member of Temple B'rith Sholom in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...
.
Legacies
Horner is interred at
Zion Gardens Cemetery in the Mt. Mayriv section, a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
cemetery in the
Dunning neighborhood of Chicago. A
Jewish summer camp
A Jewish summer camp is a summer camp dedicated to Jewish communities. In the United States these camps grew in popularity in the years after World War II and the Holocaust as an effort by American Jewish leaders to preserve and produce authentic ...
in
Ingleside, a suburb of Chicago, is named Camp Henry Horner after him. Horner, a lifelong bachelor, collected memorabilia related to
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and bequeathed it to the people of Illinois. The Horner Collection is now stored and partly displayed in the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ...
in Springfield, Illinois. Horner Park, located in Chicago, is a facility bordered by Montrose Avenue to the north,
Irving Park Road
Illinois Route 19 (abbreviated IL-19, or simply Illinois 19) is a major east–west arterial state highway in northeastern Illinois, United States. It runs from Illinois Route 25 (Liberty St.) in Elgin, to Lake Shore Drive ( U.S. Route 41) ...
to the south, California Avenue to the west, and the north branch of the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...
to the east. The
Governor Horner State Memorial is located in Horner Park. The
Chicago Housing Authority
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is a municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago. The agency's Board of Commissioners is appointed by the Mayor of Chicago, city's mayor, and has a budget independent from that ...
built the
Henry Horner Homes
Henry Horner Homes was a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) public housing project located in the Near West Side community area on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The original section of Henry Horner Homes was bordered by Oakley ...
, a public housing project on Chicago's near–west side; named in honor of Governor Horner in 1957.
Books
* (1969) Thomas B. Littlewood, ''Horner of Illinois''. Northwestern University Press.
* (2007) Charles J. Masters, ''Governor Henry Horner, Chicago Politics, And The Great Depression''. Southern Illinois University Press. .
References
External links
*
Henry Horner Collection at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horner, Henry
1878 births
1940 deaths
Chicago-Kent College of Law alumni
Democratic Party governors of Illinois
Illinois state court judges
Jewish state governors of the United States
Politicians from Chicago
University of Chicago alumni