John J. Stamos | |
|---|---|
 official portrait, circa 1973 | |
| Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court | |
| In office 1988–1990 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph F. Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | Horace L. Calvo |
| Cook County State's Attorney | |
| In office 1966–1968 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel P. Ward |
| Succeeded by | Edward Hanrahan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 30, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 2017(2017-01-28) (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | DePaul University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John James Stamos[1] (January 30, 1924 – January 28, 2017) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a justice of theSupreme Court of Illinois from 1988 to 1990, and as theCook County State's Attorney from 1966 to 1968.
Born inChicago,Illinois toGreek immigrants from theKiato region ofCorinthia,[2] Stamos served in theU.S. Army Medical Corps duringWorld War II, from 1943 to 1945, in theEuropean theater of operations.[3] He initially did clerical work at a military psychiatric facility inBelgium, but when the hospital began treating wounded soldiers following theBattle of the Bulge, he became a litter-bearer.[2]
After the war, Stamos received anLL.B. fromDePaul University College of Law in 1948, and was admitted to theIllinois Bar in 1949.[3] He then served as assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago, assistant state's attorney for Cook County, and chief of the Criminal Division of the Cook County state's attorney office.[3] In 1966, Stamos, then the first assistant state's attorney, was appointedCook County State's Attorney after predecessorDan Ward was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court. While Stamos was in this office, Cook County tried mass murdererRichard Speck, although Stamos did not consider prosecuting the case personally.[2] Stamos was not slated for reelection to the job in 1968, as MayorRichard J. Daley feared losing the office to a Republican candidate of Irish ancestry, Robert J. O'Rourke, and instead slatedEdward Hanrahan, who went on to win the election.[2]
As he was not slated to run for his position as a prosecutor in 1968, Stamos instead successfully sought election to the first district appellate court in that year. He served in that position until his appointment to the Illinois supreme court in 1988,[3] to fill the vacancy created by the retirement ofSeymour Simon.[2] Once, while serving, he received a letter from a fan of the actor,John Stamos, asking for a picture. He replied by sending a photograph of himself in his judicial robes.[2]
Stamos was married twice, the first time to Helen Voutiritsas, who died from breast cancer in 1981. They had four children. He remarried in 1986. Stamos died ofpulmonary fibrosis within hours of a dinner to celebrate his coming 93rd birthday. He was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery inSkokie, Illinois.[2]