1948 Illinois elections

1948 Illinois gubernatorial election
	County Results ; Stevenson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; Green: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%
Governor before election; Dwight H. Green; Republican	Elected Governor ; Adlai Stevenson II; Democratic

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 2, 1948.^[1]

Primaries were held April 13, 1948.^[1]^[2]

Election information

Turnout

In the primaries, 1,649,655 ballots were cast (745,645 Democratic and 904,010 Republican).^[1]^[2]

In the general election, 4,075,090 ballots were cast.^[1]

Federal elections

United States President

Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Harry S. Truman and Alben W. Barkley.

United States Senate

Incumbent Republican Charles W. Brooks lost reelection to Democrat Paul Douglas.

United States House

All 26 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1948.

Illinois had redistricted before this election, eliminating its at-large district.

State elections

Governor

Incumbent Governor Dwight H. Green, a Republican seeking a third term, lost reelection to Democrat Adlai Stevenson II.

Stevenson's victory was regarded as a surprise upset, and his margin of victory of 572,067 votes was, at the time, record breaking for an Illinois gubernatorial election.^[3]^[4]^[5]

General election

Gubernatorial election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adlai E. Stevenson	2,250,074	57.11
	Republican	Dwight H. Green (incumbent)	1,678,007	42.59
	Prohibition	Willis Ray Wilson	9,491	0.24
	Socialist Labor	Louis Fisher	2,673	0.07
	Write-in	Others	12	0.00
Total votes			3,940,257	100

Lieutenant governor

Incumbent lieutenant governor Hugh W. Cross, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a third term. Democrat Sherwood Dixon was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Lieutenant gubernatorial Democratic primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sherwood Dixon	578,390	100
Total votes			578,390	100

Republican primary

Lieutenant gubernatorial Republican primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Yates Rowe	684,452	100
	Write-in	Others	4	0.00
Total votes			684,464	100

General election

Lieutenant gubernatorial election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sherwood Dixon	1,998,555	52.22
	Republican	Richard Yates Rowe	1,815,907	47.45
	Prohibition	R. B. Campbell	9,949	0.26
	Socialist Labor	O. Alfred Olson	2,897	0.08
	Write-in	Others	3	0.00
Total votes			3,827,311	100

Attorney general

1948 Illinois Attorney General election

← 1944

November 2, 1948

1952 →


Nominee	Ivan A. Elliott	George F. Barrett
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,019,401	1,806,137
Percentage	52.61%	47.06%

Attorney General before election

George F. Barrett
Republican

Elected Attorney General

Ivan A. Elliott
Democratic

Incumbent attorney general George F. Barrett, a Republican running for a third term, lost to Democrat Ivan A. Elliott

Democratic primary

Attorney General Democratic primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ivan A. Elliott	283,831	51.85
	Democratic	Joseph P. Burke	263,586	48.15
Total votes			547,417	100

Republican primary

Attorney General Republican primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George F. Barrett (incumbent)	694,186	100
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			694,187

General election

Attorney General election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ivan A. Elliott	2,019,401	52.61
	Republican	George F. Barrett (incumbent)	1,806,137	47.06
	Prohibition	Frederick Juchhoff	9,613	0.25
	Socialist Labor	Edward C. Gross	3,118	0.08
	Write-in	Others	4	0.00
Total votes			3,838,273	100

Secretary of State

1948 Illinois Secretary of State election

← 1944

November 2, 1948

1952 →


Nominee	Edward J. Barrett	William Stratton
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,120,832	1,759,083
Percentage	54.49%	45.19%

Secretary of State before election

Edward J. Barrett
Democratic

Elected Secretary of State

Edward J. Barrett
Democratic

The Secretary of State Edward J. Barrett, a Democrat, was reelected to a second term.

Democratic primary

Secretary of State Democratic primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward J. Barrett (incumbent)	591,821	100
Total votes			591,821	100

Republican primary

Former Illinois Treasurer and incumbent congressman William Stratton won the Republican primary, running unopposed.

Secretary of State Republican primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William G. Stratton	713,430	100
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			713,432

General election

Secretary of State election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward J. Barrett (incumbent)	2,120,832	54.49
	Republican	William G. Stratton	1,759,083	45.19
	Prohibition	Maude Swits Stowell	9,636	0.25
	Socialist Labor	Gregory P. Lyngas	2,896	0.07
	Write-in	Others	6	0.07
Total votes			3,892,453	100

Auditor of Public Accounts

1948 Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts election

← 1944

November 2, 1948

1952 →


Nominee	Benjamin O. Cooper	Sinon A. Murray
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,030,222	1,776,396
Percentage	53.15%	46.51%

Auditor of Public Accounts before election

Arthur C. Lueder
Republican

Elected Auditor of Public Accounts

Benjamin O. Cooper
Democratic

Incumbent Auditor of Public Accounts Arthur C. Lueder, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a third term. Democrat Benjamin O. Cooper was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Democratic primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Benjamin O. Cooper	543,319	100
Total votes			543,319	100

Republican primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Republican primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sinon A. Murray	648,460	100
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			648,462	100

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Benjamin O. Cooper	2,030,222	53.15
	Republican	Sinon A. Murray	1,776,396	46.51
	Prohibition	Irving B. Gilbert	10,156	0.27
	Socialist Labor	Nick Mays	2,960	0.08
	Write-in	Others	2	0.0
Total votes			3,819,736	100

Treasurer

1948 Illinois State Treasurer election

← 1946

November 2, 1948

1950 →


Nominee	Ora Smith	Elmer H. Droste
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,026,268	1,769,775
Percentage	53.20%	46.46%

Treasurer before election

Richard Yates Rowe
Republican

Elected Treasurer

Ora Smith
Democratic

Incumbent first-term Treasurer Richard Yates Rowe, a Republican, did not seek reelection, instead opting to run for lieutenant governor. Democrat Ora Smith was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Treasurer Democratic primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ora Smith	541,808	100
Total votes			541,808	100

Republican primary

Treasurer Republican primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elmer H. Droste	644,417	100
Total votes			644,417

General election

Treasurer election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ora Smith	2,026,268	53.20
	Republican	Elmer H. Droste	1,769,775	46.46
	Prohibition	Rupert J. Jordan	10,043	0.26
	Socialist Labor	Rudolph Kosie	3,024	0.08
	Write-in	Others	3	0.0
Total votes			3,809,113	100

State Senate

Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1948. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

State House of Representatives

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1948. Democrats flipped control of the chamber.

Trustees of University of Illinois

1948 Trustees of University of Illinois election

← 1946

November 2, 1948

1950 →

An election was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois.^[6] All three Democratic nominees won.^[6] The election was for six-year terms.

4,078,146 ballots were cast in the election.^[6]

All three who were elected had never before held office as Trustees of the University of Illinois.^[7] Incumbent Republican Chester R. Davis lost reelection.^[7] Fellow Republican incumbents Martin Gerard Luken Sr. and Frank Hotchkiss McKelvey were not nominated for what would have been a second term.^[7]

Trustees of the University of Illinois election^[6]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Z. Hickman	1,952,705½	17.25
	Democratic	Frances Best Watkins	1,933,764½	16.95
	Democratic	George Wirt Herrick	1,918,521	16.95
	Republican	Chester R. Davis (incumbent)	1,860,339	16.43
	Republican	Dr. W. L. Crawford	1,837,011	16.23
	Republican	Charles L. Engstrom	1,781,733½	15.74
	Prohibition	E.N. Himmel	11,417½	0.10
	Prohibition	Regina Ethel Ruyle	10,988	0.10
	Prohibition	Ross E. Price	10,890½	0.10
	Socialist Labor	Loren M. Johnson	3,332	0.03
	Socialist Labor	Bernard Campbell	3,222	0.03
	Socialist Labor	Henry Cortez	3,139	0.03
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			11,321,024½	100

Judicial elections

1948 Illinois judicial elections

← 1947

1949 →

Special judicial elections were held to fill vacancies.

Circuit Courts

Tenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by resignation of Joseph E. Daily)

Tenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by resignation of Joseph E. Daily)^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Howard White	52,182	52.06
	Democratic	Baird V. Helfrich	48,062	47.95
Total votes			100,244	100

Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by death of Frank H. Hayes)

This election was held on November 2, 1948.^[6]

Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by death of Frank H. Hayes)^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert E. Larkin	37,341	53.76
	Republican	S J Holderman	32,118	46.24
Total votes			69,459	100

Local elections

Local elections were held.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "OFFICIAL VOTE of the STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the General Election, November 2, 1948 Judicial elections, 1947–1948, • Primary Election General Primary, April 13, 1948" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved July 11, 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Illinois Blue Book 1947-1948. Illinois Secretary of State. p. 747. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
^ "Stevenson, Adlai E. II". mchistory.org. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ McKeever, Porter (1989). Adlai Stevenson: His Life and Legacy. New York: William Morrow and Company. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-688-06661-1.
^ Whitney, Alan (July 15, 2009). "Stevenson of Illinois". The Nation. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Illinois Blue Book 1949-1950. Illinois Secretary of State. pp. 745–46, 785. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Trustees, University of Illinois Board of Trustees" (PDF). University of Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

[results-1] "OFFICIAL VOTE of the STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the General Election, November 2, 1948 Judicial elections, 1947–1948, • Primary Election General Primary, April 13, 1948" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved July 11, 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[bluebookprimary-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Illinois Blue Book 1947-1948. Illinois Secretary of State. p. 747. Retrieved March 29, 2020.

[mchistory-3] "Stevenson, Adlai E. II". mchistory.org. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[4] McKeever, Porter (1989). Adlai Stevenson: His Life and Legacy. New York: William Morrow and Company. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-688-06661-1.

[5] Whitney, Alan (July 15, 2009). "Stevenson of Illinois". The Nation. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

[ILbluebook-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Illinois Blue Book 1949-1950. Illinois Secretary of State. pp. 745–46, 785. Retrieved March 29, 2020.

[ui1-7] "Trustees, University of Illinois Board of Trustees" (PDF). University of Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

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v t e Elections in Illinois
By year	1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1998 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Presidential	1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 (Dem primary, Rep primary) 2012 2016 (Dem primary) 2020 (Dem primary) 2024 (Dem primary, Rep primary)
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Special	2nd congressional, 1995 14th congressional, 2008 5th congressional, 2009 2nd congressional, 2013 18th congressional, 2015 Comptroller, 2016
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Lieutenant gubernatorial	1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968
Other state executive offices	Attorney General 2018 2022 Secretary of State 2022 Comptroller 2016
State Senate	2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State House	1964 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State judicial	1936 1938 1940 1942 1948 1960 1962 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures and referendums	State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020) Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment (2022)
Chicago mayoral	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 (Mar) 1844 (Apr) 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 (Apr) 1876 (Jul) 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 (Apr) 1893 (Dec) 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 2027
Chicago City Council	1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Other municipal	1924 Cicero
Cook County	1946 1980 (State's Attorney) 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022