George E. Sangmeister

George Edward Sangmeister (February 16, 1931 – October 7, 2007) was a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He originally represented Illinois' 11th District, before it was renumbered as the 4th district.

Sangmeister was born in Frankfort, Illinois. He attended Joliet Junior College before entering the military and serving in the Korean War. After returning to private life, he attended Elmhurst College and then earned a law degree from the John Marshall Law School.

Sangmeister spent several years in private law practice before becoming a magistrate for Will County, Illinois in 1961. In 1964, he became the county's district attorney.

In 1972, Sangmeister was elected as a Democrat to the Illinois House of Representatives. In 1976, after two terms in the state House, he was elected to the Illinois Senate. Sangmeister became a powerful Democratic leader in the state Senate, and, in 1986, Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Adlai Stevenson III chose Sangmeister as his running mate. They were unsuccessful in their bids for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

In 1988, Sangmeister was elected to Congress in a heavily Democratic district. After three terms in the House, he declined to seek re-election in 1994, citing his frustration with national politics. He was replaced in Congress by Jerry Weller. He returned to private law practice for several years thereafter. He died of leukemia, aged 76.

Interred Oct. 11, 2007 at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.

External links

* [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5697565 Obituary] from "WLS"