Former CL resident tried to buy Senate seat, too
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com
Long before Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell a Senate seat, another Illinois politician with ties to Crystal Lake bought one.
William Lorimer, a former Crystal Lake resident, was ousted from the U.S. Senate in 1912 after colleagues discovered that he had bribed his way into Congress.
At the time, senators were voted in by state legislators, not citizens. An 18-month investigation concluded that he paid fellow politicians to secure him the seat.
"I don't know that he thought anything was done wrong," said Diana Kenney, president of the Crystal Lake Historical Society. "I just think he thought, 'This is the way it is, this is who I am, and to hell with you all.'"
That resilient attitude is how Lorimer earned the nickname "blond boss." He supposedly had a hand in selecting three Chicago mayors, two Illinois governors, and one U.S. senator, according to the "Historical Almanac of the U.S. Senate," by former Sen. Robert J. Dole.
But he was shook up when the U.S. Senate voted, 55 to 28, in favor of unseating him after an 18-month investigation.
"While the vote was being taken Mr. Lorimer sat in his seat in the back on the Republican side of the chamber," reads a news story published in the the July 18, 1912, edition of the Crystal Lake Herald, a predecessor of the Northwest Herald. "His face was flushed and for the first time since he began the long fight he seemed to grow nervous. He appeared dejected and depressed. No one spoke to him while the role call was in progress."
His spirits weren't dampened for long, though. After he was unseated, he returned to work as the president of a bank – and even ran for political office, according to the "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress." He didn't win, but he still held his head high.
"He maintained his strength among his peers; he maintained his clout," Kenney said. "The disgrace was a disgrace, but it wasn't like a total hide-in-a-hole type of disgrace."
Crystal Lake residents have a special tie to Lorimer. He lived in Crystal Lake for part of his life, including the years preceding his death in 1934. Drive past 615 Lake Ave., and you'll see a historic building named after Lorimer.
It was built by Lorimer's son, who lived there with his family but not with Lorimer.
"There's a misconception among many people that the senator lived there, but he did not," Kenney said.
The home hasn't been owned by the Lorimer family in years, but his reputation lives on.
"He was a very ... strong-willed person who had a lot of self-confidence," Kenney said.
• The Los Angeles Times contributed to this story.
