1940 Illinois elections

← 1938 November 5, 1940 1942 →

Elections were held inIllinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1940.^[1]

Primaries were held April 9, 1940.^[1]

While theDemocraticticket ofFranklin D. Roosevelt andHenry A. Wallace won the state's electors in the presidential election, the election overall saw significant victories for theRepublican Party. The Republican Party retained their control of theIllinois House, and flipped control of theIllinois Senate, as well as control of the executive offices ofgovernor,lieutenant governor,attorney general,auditor of public accounts, andtreasurer, all of which had previously been under Democratic Party control. Democrats retained their hold on the executive office ofsecretary of state. Additionally, Republicans won all seats up for election on the board of trustees of theUniversity of Illinois. Republicans also won the state's specialUnited States Senate election and flipped six Illinois seats in theUnited States House of Representatives.

In the primaries, 2,647,467 ballots were cast (1,503,706Democratic and 1,143,761Republican).^[1]

In the general election, 4,262,196 ballots were cast.^[1]

Illinois voted for the Democraticticket ofFranklin D. Roosevelt andHenry A. Wallace.

RepublicanCharles W. Brooks unseated DemocratJames M. Slattery, who had been appointed to the seat left vacant by the death in office of DemocratJ. Hamilton Lewis.

All 27 Illinois seats in theUnited States House of Representatives were up for election in 1940.

Republicans flipped six Democratic-held seats, making the composition of Illinois' House delegation 16 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

1940 Illinois gubernatorial election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1944 →

Nominee Dwight H. Green Harry B. Hershey Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,197,778 1,940,833 Percentage 52.93% 46.74%

County results Green:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Hershey:     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election Henry Horner (before primary) Democratic John Henry Stelle (before general election) Democratic Elected Governor Dwight H. Green Republican

Before the primary, incumbentgovernorHenry Horner, a Democrat, opted not to seek a third term. In October, before the general election, his death in office madeJohn Henry Stelle assume the governorship. However, Stelle had previously failed to win the Democratic nomination in the primary.

RepublicanDwight H. Green won the election.

• Harry B. Hershey, former mayor ofTaylorville
• Albert Lagerstedt, unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination in1938 United States Senate election in Illinois
• Robert W. McKinlay
• James O. Monroe
• John H. Stelle, incumbentlieutenant governor of Illinois

• Dwight H. Green, Republican nominee formayor of Chicago in1939
• Richard J. Lyons, formerIllinois state representative

1940 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1944 →

Nominee Hugh W. Cross Louie E. Lewis Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,073,679 1,955,834 Percentage 51.27% 48.36%

County results Cross:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Lewis:     40–50%     50–60%

Lieutenant Governor before election John Henry Stelle (before primary) Democratic Party Vacant (before general election) Elected Lieutenant Governor Hugh W. Cross Republican

Incumbentlieutenant governorJohn Henry Stelle, a Democrat, did not seek reelection to a second term, instead opting to run for governor. RepublicanHugh W. Cross was elected to succeed him.

• Louie E. Lewis,Illinois treasurer
• George M. Maypole,Illinois state senator

• John V. Clinnin, unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 1936
• Guy C. Crapple
• Hugh W. Cross,state representative
• Charles Hindley
• William C. Jerome
• Arnold L. Lund, Republican nominee for the6th congressional district in1934
• Earle Benjamin Searcy,Illinois state senator^[2]

1940 Illinois Attorney General election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1944 →

Nominee George F. Barrett Harold G. Ward Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,061,807 1,956,744 Percentage 51.12% 48.51%

County results Barrett:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Ward:     40–50%     50–60%

Attorney General before election John Edward Cassidy Democratic Elected Attorney General George F. Barrett Republican

IncumbentAttorney GeneralJohn Edward Cassidy, a Democrat appointed in 1938 after fellow DemocratOtto Kerner Sr. resigned to accept a federal judgeship, did not seek reelection to a full term. RepublicanGeorge F. Barrett was elected to succeed him.

• George F. Barrett
• Oscar E. Carlstrom, former Illinois attorney general
• Frank R. Eagleton, former assistant Illinois attorney general^[3]
• Charles W. Hadley
• Edward A. Hayes, former commander of theAmerican Legion
• George Landon

1940 Illinois Secretary of State election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1944 →

Nominee Edward J. Hughes Justus L. Johnson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,095,698 1,962,405 Percentage 51.46% 48.19%

County results Hughes:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Johnson:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Secretary of State before election Edward J. Hughes Democratic Elected Secretary of State Edward J. Hughes Democratic

Incumbent second-termSecretary of StateEdward J. Hughes, a Democrat, was reelected.

Justus L. Johnson won the Republican primary, defeating businessmanRichard Yates Rowe andIllinois state senatorArthur J. Bidwill.

1940 Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1944 →

Nominee Arthur C. Lueder John C. Martin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,027,571 1,988,366 Percentage 50.30% 49.33%

County results Lueder:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Martin:     40–50%     50–60%

Auditor of Public Accounts before election Edward J. Barrett Democratic Elected Auditor of Public Accounts Arthur C. Lueder Republican

Incumbent third-termAuditor of Public AccountsEdward J. Barrett, lost renomination in the Democratic primary. RepublicanArthur C. Lueder was elected to succeed him.

IncumbentEdward J. Barrett narrowly lost renomination to U.S. congressman and formerIllinois state treasurerJohn C. Martin.

• John William Chapman, formerChicago alderman
• Henry G. Hansen
• Arthur C. Lueder, formerChicago postmaster and Republican nominee formayor of Chicago in1923
• William R. McCauley
• Oscar Nelson, former Illinois auditor of public accounts, formerChicago alderman, former interim president of theBuilding Service Employees International Union
• Edward A. O'Connor
• Edward T. O'Connor
• Charles W. Vail

1940 Illinois State Treasurer election

← 1938 November 5, 1940 1942 →

Nominee Warren Wright Homer Mat Adams Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,030,513 1,983,667 Percentage 50.40% 49.24%

County results Wright:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Adams:     40–50%     50–60%

Treasurer before election Louie E. Lewis Democratic Elected Treasurer Warren Wright Republican

Incumbent first-termTreasurerLouie E. Lewis, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead running for lieutenant governor. RepublicanWarren Wright was elected to succeed him in office.

Seats of theIllinois Senate were up for election in 1940. Republicans flipped control of the chamber.

Seats in theIllinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1940. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

1940 University of Illinois trustees elections

← 1938 November 5, 1940 1942 →
4 out of 9 seats on theUniversity of Illinois Board of Trustees 5 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 9 0 Seats after 5 4 Seat change 4 4 Popular vote 7,717,234A 7,900,386½[B] Percentage 49.27%[C] 50.44%[D] Swing 5.99% 2.59% Seats up 4 0 Races won 0 4 [1][4][5][6][7]

An election was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees ofUniversity of Illinois to six year terms, and a special election was held to fill the partial term of a seat that was vacated.^[1] Republicans swept all four seats in the two elections.^[1] The election was for six-year terms.

1940 University of Illinois trustees (regular election)

← 1938 November 5, 1940 1942 →
3 out of 9 seats on theUniversity of Illinois Board of Trustees
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 5,957,269 5,806,332 Percentage 50.44% 49.16% Swing 2.59% 2.61% Seats up 0 3 Races won 3 0 [1][6]

An election was held for three six-year terms to the board.

Former two-term Republican member Helen M. H. Grigsby was returned to the board.^[1][7] New Republican members John R. Fornof and Park Livingston were elected to the board.^[1][7]

Incumbent first-term Democrat Marie Coyle Plumb lost reelection.^[1][7]

First-term DemocratsOscar G. Mayer Sr. andHarold Pogue did not seek reelection.^[1][7]

Marie Coyle Plumb was listed on the ballot as "Mrs. Glenn E. Plumb", and Beulah Campbell was listed as "Belulah (Mrs. Bruce A.) Campbell".^[1][7]

1940 University of Illinois trustee special election

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1942 →

Nominee Chester R. Davis Kenney E. Williamson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,943,117 1,910,902 Percentage 50.42% 49.58%

Trustee before election Kenney E. Williamson Democratic Elected Trustee Chester R. Davis Republican

A special election was held to fill the term left vacant by the death in office of Democrat Louis Conrad Moschel in 1940.^[1][7] RepublicanChester R. Davis was elected, defeating incumbent Kenny E. Williamson (who had been appointed to hold the seat after the death of Moschel).^[1][7]

On June 3, 1940, an election was held for judges of theSuperior Court of Cook County.

On November 5, 1940, an election was held to fill a vacancy on the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Alegislatively referred state statute was brought before the voters.

Voters approved the Illinois Banking Law Amendment, a legislatively referred state statute which made it easier to establish new banks in small municipalities that lack banks.^[1][8] It amended sections 11 and 12 of the general banking law.^[1]

Local elections were held.

^A 5,806,332½ in regular election and 1,910,902 in special election

^B 5,957,269½ in regular election and 1,943,117 in special election

^C 49.16% of regular election and 49.58% of special election

^D 50.44% of regular election and 50.42% of special election

• 1940 Illinois elections
• 1940 elections in the United States by state
• 1940 state legislature elections in the United States

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