1956 Illinois elections

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 6, 1956.[1]

1956 Illinois elections

November 6, 1956
Turnout	85.95%

Primaries were held on April 10, 1960.[1][2]

The results strongly favored the Republican Party,[3] which retained control both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly as well as all statewide elected executive offices. They also won the state in the presidential election, retained the U.S. Senate seat up for election, and flipped a single U.S. House seat.

Election information

Turnout

In the primary election turnout was 36.96%, with a total of 1,839,577 ballots cast (961,999 Democratic and 877,578 Republican).[1][2][4]

In the general election turnout was 85.95%, with a total of 4,484,956 ballots cast.[1][5][6]

Federal elections

United States President

Illinois voted for the Republican ticket of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. For the second consecutive election, Illinois' vote for the Republican Eisenhower-Nixon ticket came despite the fact that former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II was the Democratic presidential nominee.

United States Senate

Republican Senator Everett Dirksen was reelected to a second term.

United States House

All 25 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1956.

The Republicans flipped one Democratic-held seat, leaving the composition of Illinois' House delegation to consist of 14 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

State elections

Governor

1956 Illinois gubernatorial election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	82.69%[1][6]
Nominee William Stratton Richard B. Austin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,171,786 2,134,909 Percentage 50.34% 49.48%
Governor before election William Stratton Republican Elected Governor William Stratton Republican

Incumbent Governor William Stratton, a Republican, narrowly won reelection to a second term.

General election

Herbert C. Paschen was replaced by Richard B. Austin as Democratic nominee.

Gubernatorial election[1][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William G. Stratton (incumbent)	2,171,786	50.34
	Democratic	Richard B. Austin	2,134,909	49.48
	Socialist Labor	Edward C. Cross	7,874	0.18
	Write-in	Others	42	0.00
Total votes			4,314,611	100

Lieutenant Governor

1956 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	80.74%[1][6]
Nominee John William Chapman Roscoe Bonjean Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,240,542 1,964,722 Percentage 53.18% 46.64%
Lieutenant Governor before election John William Chapman Republican Elected Lieutenant Governor John William Chapman Republican

Incumbent Lieutenant Governor John William Chapman, a Republican, won reelection to a second term.

Democratic primary

Lieutenant Governor Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roscoe Bonjean	441,873	63.15
	Democratic	James L. Griffin	257,884	36.85
	Write-in	Others	5	0.00
Total votes			699,762	100

Republican primary

Lieutenant Governor Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John William Chapman (incumbent)	655,018	100
	Write-in	Others	4	0.00
Total votes			655,022	100

General election

Lieutenant Governor election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John William Chapman (incumbent)	2,240,542	53.18
	Democratic	Roscoe Bonjean	1,964,722	46.64
	Socialist Labor	Frank Schnur	7,540	0.18
Total votes			4,212,804	100

Attorney General

1956 Illinois Attorney General election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	80.92%[1][6]
Nominee Latham Castle James L. O'Keefe Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,310,346 1,904,439 Percentage 54.72% 45.11%
Attorney General before election William L. Guild Republican Elected Attorney General William G. Clark Democratic

Incumbent Attorney General Latham Castle, a Republican, was elected to a second term.

Democratic primary

Attorney General Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James L. O'Keefe	651,226	100
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			651,227	100

Republican primary

Attorney General Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Latham Castle (incumbent)	655,115	100
	Democratic	Write-in	4	0.00
Total votes			655,119	100

General election

Attorney General election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Latham Castle (incumbent)	2,310,346	54.72
	Democratic	James L. O'Keefe	1,904,439	45.11
	Socialist Labor	George P. Milonas	7,460	0.18
Total votes			4,222,245	100

Secretary of State

1960 Illinois Secretary of State election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	81.89%[1][6]
Nominee Charles F. Carpentier David F. Mallet Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,432,954 1,832,677 Percentage 56.94% 42.89%
Secretary of State before election Charles F. Carpentier Republican Elected Secretary of State Charles F. Carpentier Republican

Incumbent Secretary of State Charles F. Carpentier, a Republican, was reelected to a second term.

Democratic primary

Secretary of State Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David F. Mallet	650,286	100
	Democratic	Write-in	2	0.00
Total votes			650,288	100

Republican primary

Secretary of State Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles F. Carpentier (incumbent)	609,658	80.18
	Republican	Nicholas J. Bohling	150,704	19.82
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			760,363	100

General election

Secretary of State election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles F. Carpentier (incumbent)	2,432,954	56.94
	Democratic	David F. Mallet	1,832,677	42.89
	Socialist Labor	Gregory P. Lyngas	7,260	0.17
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			4,272,892	100

Auditor of Public Accounts

1960 Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	80.87%[1][6]
Nominee Elbert S. Smith Michael Howlett Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,217,229 1,992,707 Percentage 52.55% 47.23
Auditor of Public Accounts before election Lloyd Morey Republican Elected Auditor of Public Accounts Elbert S. Smith Republican

Auditor of Public Accounts Orville Hodge, who had been elected in 1952, was seeking re-election and had won the Republican primary before being charged with 54 counts of bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery relating to a $6.15 million fraud he committed against the state; Hodge was removed from office, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison.

Lloyd Morey was appointed in 1957 to replace Hodge, but decided not to seek reelection. Republican Elbert S. Smith was elected to succeed Morey.

Democratic primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael J. Howlett	644,184
Total votes			644,184	100

Republican primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Orville Hodge (incumbent)	672,439	100
	Democratic	Write-in	2	0.00
Total votes			672,441	100

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elbert S. Smith	2,217,229	52.55
	Democratic	Michael J. Howlett	1,992,707	47.23
	Socialist Labor	Stanley L. Prorok	9,468	0.22
Total votes			4,219,404	100

Treasurer

1956 Illinois State Treasurer election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	80.80%[1][6]
Nominee Elmer J. Hoffman Arthur L. Hellyer Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,226,340 1,981,234 Percentage 52.81% 47.00%
Treasurer before election Warren Wright Republican Elected Treasurer Elmer J. Hoffman Republican

Incumbent Treasurer Warren Wright, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a second-consecutive (third overall) term, instead opting to run (ultimately unsuccessfully) for the Republican nomination for governor. Republican Elmer J. Hoffman was elected to succeed him in office, earning Hoffman a second non-consecutive term as Treasurer.

This was the first Illinois Treasurer election to a four-year term, as voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1954 which extended term length from two to four-years beginning in 1956.

Democratic primary

Treasurer Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Arthur L. Hellyer	635,633	100
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			635,634	100

Republican primary

Treasurer Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elmer J. Hoffman	666,961	100
	Write-in	Others	8	0.00
Total votes			666,969	100

General election

Treasurer election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elmer J. Hoffman	2,226,340	52.81
	Democratic	Arthur L. Hellyer	1,981,234	47.00
	Socialist Labor	Rudolph Kosle	8,244	0.20
Total votes			4,215,818	100

Clerk of the Supreme Court

1956 Illinois Clerk of the Supreme Court election

November 6, 1956
Turnout	80.53%[1][6]
Nominee Lula Searcy James P. Alexander Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,285,311 1,909,378 Percentage 54.39% 45.44%
Clerk before election Lula Searcy Republican Elected Clerk Lula Searcy Republican

Incumbent Clerk of the Supreme Court Lula Searcy, a Republican appointed after the death in office of her husband Earle Benjamin Searcy, won reelection to a first full term.

Instead of being listed by her own name, Searcy opted to be listed on the ballot in both the primary and general election as "Ms. Earle Benjamin Searcy".[1][2][5]

Democratic primary

Clerk of the Supreme Court Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James P. Alexander	631,400	100
	Write-in	Others	6	0.00
Total votes			631,406	100

Republican primary

Clerk of the Supreme Court Republican primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lula Searcy (incumbent)	647,649	100
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			647,650	100

General election

Clerk of the Supreme Court election[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lula Searcy (incumbent)	2,285,311	54.39
	Democratic	James P. Alexander	1,909,378	45.44
	Socialist Labor	Walter J. Leibfritz	7,279	0.17
Total votes			4,201,968	100

State Senate

Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1960. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

State House of Representatives

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1956. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

Trustees of University of Illinois

1956 Trustees of University of Illinois election

November 6, 1956

An election using cumulative voting was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois.[5] All three Republican nominees won.[5] The election was for 6-year terms.

Incumbent Republican Wayne A. Johnston won a second term.[7] Incumbent Republican Timothy W. Swain, appointed in 1955 after the resignation of Red Grange, won election to his first full term.[7] Also, joining them in winning election, was Republican Earl M. Hughes.[5][7] Incumbent first-term Republican Herbert B. Megran did had not been nominated for reelection.[5][7]

Trustees of the University of Illinois election[5][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wayne A. Johnston (incumbent)	2,301,855	18.37
	Republican	Timothy W. Swain (incumbent)	2,280,467	18.19
	Republican	Earl M. Hughes	2,232,759	17.81
	Democratic	Joseph Bruce Campbell	1,930,866	15.41
	Democratic	Richard J. Nelson	1,889,835½	14.95
	Democratic	Don Forsyth	1,873,181	14.95
	Socialist Labor	Elizabeth W. White	8,996	0.07
	Socialist Labor	Henry Schilling	8,216	0.07
	Socialist Labor	Albert Bikar	7,910	0.06
Total votes			12,534,085½	100

Judicial elections

On April 10, special elections were held for vacancies on the Third and Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Districts. On November 2, special elections were held for three vacancies on the Superior Court of Cook County.[1]

Ballot measures

Two ballot measures, were put before Illinois voters in 1956.

General Banking Law Amendment

Voters approved the General Banking Law Amendment a legislatively referred state statute which modified the state's banking law.[8]

General Banking Law Amendment[1][5][6]

Candidate		Votes	%
Yes		1,472,236	76.84
No		443,650	23.16
Total votes		1,915,886	100
Voter turnout		36.72%

Revenue Amendment

The Revenue Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX Sections 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 and repeal Article IX Section 13 of the 1870 Constitution of Illinois to give more leeway to the legislature in creating tax policy, while specifically forbidding the authorization of a graduated income tax, failed to meet either threshold for adoption.[5][9] In order for constitutional amendments to pass, they required either two-thirds support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[10][11]

Revenue Amendment[1][5][6]
Option	Votes	% of votes on measure	% of all ballots cast
Yes	2,139,150	60.30	47.70
No	1,408,132	39.70	31.40
Total votes	3,547,282	100	79.09
Voter turnout	67.98%

Local elections

Local elections were held.

References

1. "OFFICIAL VOTE of the STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 6, 1956 JUDICIAL ELECTION, 1955, 1956 • PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 10 1958" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
2. Illinois Blue Book 1955-1956. www.idaillinois.org. Illinois Secretary of State. pp. 815–16. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
3. Cohen, Adam; Taylor, Elizabeth (2001). American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation. Little, Brown. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7595-2427-9.
4. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the PRIMARY ELECTION MARCH 16, 1982" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
5. Illinois Blue Book 1957-1958. www.idaillinois.org. Illinois Secretary of State. pp. 903–04. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
6. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 2, 1982" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
7. "Trustees, University of Illinois Board of Trustees" (PDF). University of Illinois. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
8. "Illinois General Banking Law Amendment (1956)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
9. "Illinois Revenue Amendment (1956)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
10. 1870 Illinois Constituton Article XIV
11. "Illinois Re-election of County Officers Amendment (1952)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 1 April 2020.