Roger A. Keats (born August 12, 1948) is an American politician and businessman. Keats was born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. 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 1972 to 1974. He received his bachelor's degree from

University of Michigan 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 ...

. He worked in the bank business and started ''Gallatan National'' a construction and civil engineer business. He lived in

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...

. At various points in his early career, Keats was a teacher and a legislative assistant in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He also served as the Republican campaign coordinator in Northern Illinois during 1972 general election. In the 1976 general election, Republican incumbent Brian Duff opted to run for a judgeship in the

Cook County Circuit Court The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...

. Keats was elected as one of three members, with John Porter and

Harold Katz Harold Katz (May 5, 1937 – January 25, 2025) was an American businessman. He was from the Greater Philadelphia area. He attended Sharon Senior High School and received an alumni hall of fame award in 2024. Life and career Katz bought the Phil ...

, from the 1st district to serve in the 80th General Assembly. Duff resigned before the end of the 79th General Assembly to assume his role as a judge. Local Republican leaders appointed Representative-elect Keats to the Illinois House to serve during the veto session of the 79th General Assembly. Keats served in 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 ...

from 1976 to 1979. In 1977, incumbent Senator Brad Glass sought the Republican nomination for

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 ...

. In the 1978 general election, Republican Keats defeated Democratic candidate Cathleen Quinn O'Rourke to succeed Glass in the Illinois Senate. He then served in 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 1979 to 1993. In the 1992 general election, Keats lost the Republican-friendly 29th district to Democratic State Representative

Grace Mary Stern Grace Mary Stern (née Dain; July 10, 1925 – May 17, 1998) was an American Democratic politician who served in both houses of the Illinois legislature, but was unsuccessful in her 1982 run for Lieutenant Governor, which would have made her ...

. In 1995, he was appointed to the Illinois International Port District by Governor

Jim Edgar James Robert Edgar (born July 22, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. A Moderate Republican (modern United States), moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he previously s ...

. During the

2008 Republican Party presidential primaries From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chose their nominee for President of the United States, president in the 2008 United States presidential election. United States Senate, Senator J ...

, Keats worked on behalf of the

presidential campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...

of former U.S. Senator

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...

serving as a congressional district chair for

Illinois's 10th congressional district The 10th congressional district of Illinois lies in the northeast corner of the state and mostly comprises northern suburbs of Chicago. It was created after the 1860 census. The district is currently represented by Democrat Brad Schneider. ...

. In 2010, Keats was the Republican nominee for President of the

Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, which includes the City ...

. In 2013, Keats and his wife moved to

Dripping Springs, Texas Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,650 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Geography Dripping Springs is in northern Hays County on U.S. Route 290, which l ...

.'Illinois Blue Book 1991–1992,' Biographical Sketch of Roger A. Keats, pg. 96

Notes

1948 births Living people Politicians from Cleveland Military personnel from Cleveland People from Wilmette, Illinois People from Dripping Springs, Texas Businesspeople from Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Republican Party Illinois state senators University of Michigan alumni 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-Republican-stub