Louis Lincoln Emmerson

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Louis Lincoln Emmerson (born December 27, 1863 in Albion , Illinois , † February 4, 1941 in Mount Vernon , Illinois) was an American politician and from 1929 to 1933 the 27th  governor of the state of Illinois.

Early years and political advancement

Louis Emmerson attended local schools in Albion. In 1883 he moved to Mount Vernon where he got into the trading business. In 1901 he was instrumental in founding the Third National Bank . In 1912, Emmerson unsuccessfully applied for the post of Treasury Secretary of Illinois. Four years later, he succeeded Lewis Stevenson as Secretary of State in the Illinois government - an office he held for twelve years. In 1928 he was nominated by the Republican Party for the office of governor and then prevailed with 56.8 percent of the vote against the Democrat Floyd Thompson .

Illinois Governor

Emmerson's four-year term began on January 14, 1929. The main problem facing his administration was the Great Depression, which spread across the United States and the western world as a result of the New York stock market crash of October 1929. During his term of office, the crisis could not be combated decisively. It was only the New Deal policy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's government that was to usher in a turning point from 1933 onwards. But that was already after Emmerson left the office of governor. Nevertheless, some promising measures have already been initiated. For example, the mineral oil tax was increased. The income was used to drive the further expansion of the road network, which was also a job creation measure during the economic crisis. The penalties for taxpayers have been reduced and a committee to combat unemployment has been set up. Emmerson was able to secure federal grants for the waterway under construction between Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico . On the other hand, because of the crisis, he also had to cut government programs and spending. During his tenure, the gang war in Chicago reached its climax with the massacre on Valentine's Day in 1929 . As a result, the power of the gang bosses, especially that of Al Capone, was reduced. He was charged with tax evasion and sentenced to a long prison term. He should never go back to Chicago. However, it was not possible to completely crush organized crime. Nevertheless, at least the open violence on the streets subsided significantly. By 1930 the population of Illinois had risen to 7.6 million. In 1920 it was 6.5 million. In 1932, at the height of the economic crisis, Emmerson decided not to run for governor again. Therefore, he resigned on January 9, 1933 from his office.

Further life

After the end of his tenure, he withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private affairs. He saw the state's economy recover under the influence of the New Deal, and the political skies over Europe and Japan darkening and headed for a world war that had been raging in Europe since 1939. He did not live to see the United States involved in this war, however, because he died in February 1941. Louis Emmerson was married to Ann Matthews. They had two children together.

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