Michael Howlett
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Howlett, Sr. was a Democratic
politician from the U.S. state
of Illinois
, who was elected several times to statewide office.
, a son of Irish immigrants. As a youth, Howlett was All-American water polo
player, participating on ten championship teams of the Illinois Athletic Club. He graduated from St. Mel High School
and briefly attended De Paul University, leaving the latter in 1934 to became a state bank examiner. Subsequently, he founded his own insurance
business, served as Chicago-area director of the National Youth Administration
, was an executive for the Chicago Park District
, was appointed regional director of the U.S. Office of Price Stabilization, and was a steel company executive. He was also a U.S. Navy
veteran of World War II
.
of more than $1.5 million in state funds. Hodge resigned and eventually went to prison, but Howlett lost the general election to Elbert Sidney Smith as part of a national Republican
landslide. However, in the next general election, in 1960, Howlett was elected Auditor of Public Accounts (the Auditor's Office was the predecessor to the current office of Comptroller
), and was re-elected twice. During Howlett's first term as Auditor, he cut the budget of the office by one-fifth, and returned over $600,000 to the state treasury. In 1972, Howlett was elected Illinois Secretary of State, becoming the first Democrat state officer to win four consecutive statewide elections.
to challenge incumbent
Governor
Dan Walker
for the Democratic nomination in 1976. Howlett defeated Walker in the March primary, and stood as the Democratic nominee for governor of Illinois in the general election, whereupon he was defeated by Republican
nominee James R. Thompson
.
Throughout the campaign, Howlett was dogged by conflict of interest charges, first raised by Walker, over payments Howlett received as an executive at Sun Steel Company. A report issued by former Illinois Supreme Court justice Marvin Burt at the behest of Republican state Attorney General William J. Scott was highly critical of Howlett. However, a Cook County judge ruled no conflict of interest had arisen, and cleared Howlett. Thompson, who successfully prosecuted former Illinois governor Otto Kerner, Jr.
, continued to hammer the issue during the general election campaign, and attacked Howlett as corrupt, and Attorney General Scott vowed to appeal the judge's ruling. Ironically, it was Scott who later was forced to resign after a felony conviction.
Early polls of the contest had Howlett in the lead, although Thompson had nearly closed the gap by the time of the primary. However, Walker's attacks during the bitter primary weakened Howlett, and by August, Thompson held a slim lead in the polls. His lead expanded during the campaign, and Howlett ended up losing by 30 percentage points (nearly 1.4 million votes), the widest margin of defeat for any Democratic Nominee for Governor of Illinois in history. Thompson was the first candidate for Governor to receive over 3 million votes, and his tally of 3,000,395 remains the highest number of votes ever cast for a candidate in an election for Governor of Illinois.
Howlett would later see his son run for statewide office through bizarre circumstances. In the 1986 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor
, former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III
and the Democratic Party selected State senator George E. Sangmeister
as the party-preferred candidate, however he narrowly lost the primary
to Mark Fairchild (a Lyndon LaRouche
activist). After LaRouche followers had won the Democratic nominations for both Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, Stevenson refused to run as the Democratic standard-bearer, and formed the Solidarity Party
. When Sangmeister was unwilling to run with Stevenson in the fall, Howlett's son Michael J. Howlett, Jr., then a Cook County judge, was nominated by the Solidarity Party. Stevenson-Howlett went down to defeat in the fall, with only 40% of the vote. Another son, Edward G. Howlett, was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Chicago City Clerk in 1995.
of chronic kidney failure. He had suffered a stroke three months earlier and remained hospitalized from then until his death.
The building housing the offices of the Illinois Secretary of State in Springfield, Illinois
, formerly known as the Centennial Building, is named after Howlett.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, who was elected several times to statewide office.
Early life
Howlett was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, a son of Irish immigrants. As a youth, Howlett was All-American water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
player, participating on ten championship teams of the Illinois Athletic Club. He graduated from St. Mel High School
Providence-St. Mel
Providence St. Mel School is a private, coeducational K-12 school in East Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois. The school currently has 594 students and 50 teachers.-History:...
and briefly attended De Paul University, leaving the latter in 1934 to became a state bank examiner. Subsequently, he founded his own insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
business, served as Chicago-area director of the National Youth Administration
National Youth Administration
The National Youth Administration was a New Deal agency in the United States that focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 24. It operated from 1935 to 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration . Following the passage of the Reorganization Act of...
, was an executive for the Chicago Park District
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is the oldest and largest park district in the U.S.A, with a $385 million annual budget. It has the distinction of spending the most per capita on its parks, even more than Boston in terms of park expenses per capita...
, was appointed regional director of the U.S. Office of Price Stabilization, and was a steel company executive. He was also a U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
veteran of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Statewide Officeholder
In 1956, Howlett ran for Illinois Auditor and is credited with exposing embezzlement by incumbent Auditor Orville HodgeOrville Hodge
Orville Enoch Hodge was the Auditor of Public Accounts of the state of Illinois from 1952 to 1956...
of more than $1.5 million in state funds. Hodge resigned and eventually went to prison, but Howlett lost the general election to Elbert Sidney Smith as part of a national Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
landslide. However, in the next general election, in 1960, Howlett was elected Auditor of Public Accounts (the Auditor's Office was the predecessor to the current office of Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
), and was re-elected twice. During Howlett's first term as Auditor, he cut the budget of the office by one-fifth, and returned over $600,000 to the state treasury. In 1972, Howlett was elected Illinois Secretary of State, becoming the first Democrat state officer to win four consecutive statewide elections.
1976 Illinois Gubernatorial Campaign
Secretary of State Howlett was prepared to run for re-election in 1976, but was pressured by the Daley political organizationCook County Democratic Organization
The Cook County Democratic Organization is one of the most powerful political machines in American history. Historically called the "Chicago Democratic machine", or simply the "Chicago Machine", the organization has dominated Chicago politics since the 1930s...
to challenge incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Dan Walker
Daniel Walker
Daniel Walker was the 36th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1973 to 1977.-Early life and career:He was born in Washington, D.C. and raised near San Diego, California. He was the second Governor of Illinois to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. He served as a naval officer in...
for the Democratic nomination in 1976. Howlett defeated Walker in the March primary, and stood as the Democratic nominee for governor of Illinois in the general election, whereupon he was defeated by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee James R. Thompson
James R. Thompson
James Robert Thompson, Jr. , also known as Big Jim Thompson, was the 37th and longest serving Governor of the US state of Illinois...
.
Throughout the campaign, Howlett was dogged by conflict of interest charges, first raised by Walker, over payments Howlett received as an executive at Sun Steel Company. A report issued by former Illinois Supreme Court justice Marvin Burt at the behest of Republican state Attorney General William J. Scott was highly critical of Howlett. However, a Cook County judge ruled no conflict of interest had arisen, and cleared Howlett. Thompson, who successfully prosecuted former Illinois governor Otto Kerner, Jr.
Otto Kerner, Jr.
Otto Kerner, Jr. was the 33rd Governor of Illinois from 1961 to 1968. He is best known for chairing the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and for accepting bribes....
, continued to hammer the issue during the general election campaign, and attacked Howlett as corrupt, and Attorney General Scott vowed to appeal the judge's ruling. Ironically, it was Scott who later was forced to resign after a felony conviction.
Early polls of the contest had Howlett in the lead, although Thompson had nearly closed the gap by the time of the primary. However, Walker's attacks during the bitter primary weakened Howlett, and by August, Thompson held a slim lead in the polls. His lead expanded during the campaign, and Howlett ended up losing by 30 percentage points (nearly 1.4 million votes), the widest margin of defeat for any Democratic Nominee for Governor of Illinois in history. Thompson was the first candidate for Governor to receive over 3 million votes, and his tally of 3,000,395 remains the highest number of votes ever cast for a candidate in an election for Governor of Illinois.
Retirement
After his loss in the 1976 governor's race, Howlett opened a private consulting business.Howlett would later see his son run for statewide office through bizarre circumstances. In the 1986 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket, and are directly elected by popular vote. Candidates for lieutenant governor run separately in the primary from candidates for...
, former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III
Adlai Stevenson III
Adlai Ewing Stevenson III is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represented the state of Illinois in the United States Senate from 1970 until 1981.-Education, military service, and early career:...
and the Democratic Party selected State senator George E. Sangmeister
George E. Sangmeister
George Edward Sangmeister was a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He originally represented Illinois' 4th District, before it was renumbered as the 11th district....
as the party-preferred candidate, however he narrowly lost the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to Mark Fairchild (a Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
activist). After LaRouche followers had won the Democratic nominations for both Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, Stevenson refused to run as the Democratic standard-bearer, and formed the Solidarity Party
Solidarity Party
The Solidarity Party was an American political party in the state of Illinois. It was named after Lech Wałęsa's Solidarity movement in Poland, which was widely-admired in Illinois at the time .The party was founded in 1986 by Senator Adlai Stevenson III in reaction to the Democratic Party's...
. When Sangmeister was unwilling to run with Stevenson in the fall, Howlett's son Michael J. Howlett, Jr., then a Cook County judge, was nominated by the Solidarity Party. Stevenson-Howlett went down to defeat in the fall, with only 40% of the vote. Another son, Edward G. Howlett, was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Chicago City Clerk in 1995.
Death and legacy
Howlett died in Chicago's Mercy HospitalMercy Hospital and Medical Center
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center is a Catholic teaching hospital in Chicago. Established in 1852, The hospital was the first chartered hospital in Chicago. In 1859, Mercy Hospital became the first Catholic hospital to affiliate with a medical school — Lind Medical School — and the...
of chronic kidney failure. He had suffered a stroke three months earlier and remained hospitalized from then until his death.
The building housing the offices of the Illinois Secretary of State in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, formerly known as the Centennial Building, is named after Howlett.
Election history
Sources
- Chicago Tribune Historical Archive online (May 5, 1992), retrieved April 28, 2007.
- Illinois Comptroller web site - History of the Office - Howlett
- "Howlett v. Thompson," Illinois Issues, November 1976
- 1975-1976 Illinois Blue Book p40