William Scott | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Scott, circa 1976 | |
| 36thIllinois Attorney General | |
| In office January 13, 1969 – July 29, 1980 | |
| Governor | Richard B. Ogilvie Dan Walker Jim Thompson |
| Preceded by | William Clark |
| Succeeded by | Ty Fahner |
| 62ndTreasurer of Illinois | |
| In office January 14, 1963 – January 9, 1967 | |
| Governor | Otto Kerner Jr. |
| Preceded by | Francis S. Lorenz |
| Succeeded by | Adlai Stevenson III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 11, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 1986(1986-06-22) (aged 59) Palos Heights, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
William J. Scott (November 11, 1926 – June 22, 1986) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he served asTreasurer of Illinois from 1963 until 1967 and asIllinois Attorney General from 1969 until his disqualification from office following his conviction of a tax crime.
Born inChicago,Illinois, Scott served in the United States Naval Air Corps duringWorld War II. He was assigned to theUniversity of Pennsylvania where he earned his undergraduate degree.[1] He then received his law degree fromChicago–Kent College of Law in 1950 and then practiced law. In 1959, he helped the United States Government with a crackdown on organized crime. He then became vice president of a bank.
In 1962, he was elected Illinois State Treasurer, as aRepublican, and served until 1967.
Elected in 1968, he served as Illinois Attorney General until his resignation in 1980.
In 1980, while on trial for understating his 1972 United States income tax, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
He was convicted the day after his defeat in the polls. In 1982, after losing an appeal in the United States Supreme Court, he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. He served seven months of this sentence before being paroled.
He died at his home, in Palos Heights, Illinois, of a heart attack.[2][3][4]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forIllinois Treasurer 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Elroy C. Sandquist | Republican nominee forAttorney General of Illinois 1968,1972,1976,1978 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of Illinois 1963–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Illinois 1969–1980 | Succeeded by |
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