George E. Sangmeister
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Edward Sangmeister is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He originally represented Illinois's 11th District, before it was renumbered as the 4th district.
Sangmeister was born on February 16, 1931 in Frankfort, Illinois. He attended Joliet Junior College before entering the military and serving in the Korean War. After returing to private life, he attended Elmhurst College and then earned a law degree from the John Marshall Law School.
Sangmeister spend 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 governor Adlai Stevenson III chose Sangmeister as his running mate. Their bid for governor was unsuccessful.
In 1989, Sangmeister was elected to Congress in a heavily Democratic district. After three terms in the House, he abruptly retired in 1995, citing his frustration with national politics. He returned to private law practice for several years thereafter.
