Ben Adamowski

Benjamin S. Adamowski (November 20, 1906 – March 1, 1982) was a politician and lawyer.

Ben Adamowski
Cook County State's Attorney
In office
1956–1960
Preceded byJohn S. Boyle
Succeeded byDaniel P. Ward
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 25th district
In office
1931–1941
Personal details
BornNovember 20, 1906
DiedMarch 1, 1982 (age 75)
Political partyRepublican (since 1955)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (until 1955)
Alma materDePaul University College of Law

Early life

His father, Max Adamowski, was an alderman in Chicago, as well as a real estate agent in Logan Square, and tavern owner.[1] He graduated from DePaul University Law School in 1928.

Career

He served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 25th District from 1931 through 1941.[2] In the legislature, he distanced himself from the machine politics his father had been aligned with, and aligned himself with liberal reformist governor Henry Horner.[1] In 1940, Adamowski unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the special U.S. Senate election.[3]

In 1941, Adamowski left the legislature to serve as the Corporation Council of Chicago under Mayor Martin H. Kennelly, a role he held for three years.[1]

He was a Democrat until 1955, when he was defeated by Richard J. Daley in the Democratic primary for mayor. In later campaigns for State's Attorney and a second bid for mayor against Daley in 1963 he ran as a Republican.[4]

He served from 1957 to 1960 as State's Attorney of Cook County.[5] In May 1959, he uncovered a $500,000-a-year ticket-fixing scandal in Chicago Traffic Court, and indicted four court employees on corruption charges.[1]

References
  1. Cohen, Adam; Taylor, Elizabeth (2001). American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation. Little, Brown. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7595-2427-9.
  2. 'Illinois Blue Book 1939-1940,' biographical sketch of Benjamin Adamowski, pg. 194-195
  3. "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 5, 1940 JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, 1939-1940 PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 9, 1940" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  4. "Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers".
  5. "In 1963, Kennedy's dedication of O'Hare gave Daley a welcome boost". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
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