Shapiro, Samuel Harvey

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SHAPIRO, SAMUEL HARVEY

SHAPIRO, SAMUEL HARVEY (1907–1987), lawyer, legislator, and governor. Shapiro, who was born in Estonia and grew up in Kankakee, Illinois, became city attorney there in 1933. Elected district attorney of Kankakee County in 1936 on the Democratic ticket, he resigned in 1941 to enlist in the U.S. Navy, in which he served for four years. In 1946 Shapiro was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, and served 14 years. He became known for his sponsorship of mental health legislation and his exposure of corrupt officials in the state hospital system. In 1960 Shapiro was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois, and was reelected in 1964. During 1967–68 he served as acting governor, and when Governor Otto Kerner resigned in May 1968, Shapiro succeeded him. He was defeated for reelection in 1968. Shapiro was a president of Kankakee's Temple Israel, a founder and president of the Kankakee B'nai B'rith, and a member of the Anti-Defamation League. Shapiro wrote Messages to the General Assembly of Illinois (1968).

[Bernard Postal]