Power House: Arrington from Illinois

by Taylor Pensoneau

W. Russell Arrington's name may not have been a household word across the country, but everything about him was classic American - from his proud immigrant ancestry and auspicious birthdate (July 4th)... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561679550
• ISBN13: 9781561679553
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: American Literary Press
• Length: 393 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Study in Power, Integrity, and Accomplishment

W. Russell Arrington was a long standing legislative leader whose strong personality, institutional knowledge, and political senses made him a dominant figure in Illinois legislative operations. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan described him as the "Father of the Modern General Assembly" for guiding changes that updated the Illinois legislature. Arrington was a suburban Republican leader who realized how to work with a Democratic Mayor of Chicago to find mutual goals and accomplishments. This book is a biography of W. Russell Arrington. Arrington was born in 1906, the son of an advisor to President McKinley. Russell followed a family interest in politics by becoming active in the Young Republicans. As President of the Arrington (Illinois) Young Republican in 1934 he built the club into one with 450 members and a downtown office. Among its members was W. Clement Stone, who would become a leading national Republican contributor. The Young Republicans became a major influence in local politics. Arrington ran for the state legislature in 1940. Key issues for him in the race where his support for civil service reform and keeping cab fares low. He lost but achieved a respectable 48% of the vote. Two elections later, he ran again and was elected. The legislature in 1945 and for many years afterwards was part time. It met for a six month session in only odd numbered years. Legislators had no staff and no offices. Arrington viewed being legislator as one who could consider what was best for the entire state as well as advocating for the needs of his district. He believed often the goals of the state and his district were the same. He thus versed himself in issues that were important both statewide and to his constituents. The book provides insights into the historic Illinois legislature. Democratic legislators and Republican legislators congregated in different hotels. Lobbyists would frequent visit these hotels, especially since this was before the days of lobbyist spending disclosure. Thus, many legislative decisions were made in the hotel restaurants and bars. Arrington had a strong sense of ethics. He was aghast at the power of lobbyists and sought to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. This was an era in Illinois political when kickbacks and influential campaign contributions were commonplace, and Arrington refused to put a part of it. Arrington became a leader of government and political reform movements. Illinois became reform minded when newspaper disclosures informed the public how gamblers were funding many Illinois Republican campaigns. Some reporters even printed how other reporters were on the state payroll in jobs that had no duties, and how these reporters had been keeping this corruption quiet. A public outrage resulted. Arrington was a leading force in the effort to update the Illinois Constitution of 1870. In 1951, Arrington introduced 118 bills and saw many of them pass, which is a rem

Author successfully captured the essence of the man

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07) "My birth on July 4, 1906. It was a hell of a long time ago." Perhaps the birth of Russell Arrington was a sign of his future. Arrington rose from scarcity to affluence. He was a businessman, an attorney and a politician. Senator W. Russell Arrington was a man that wanted to solve problems. "He was not possessed by a need to be liked, which gave him an advantage over colleagues who were concerned about offending others." "He was often an intractable foe of one governor and an invaluable ally of another." "He could be ruthless one minute and sensitive the next." "Arrington would be both a true legislator and a representative." He knew that he had to read the people around him. He spent hours networking with them and learning what made them tick. There were times when his stand on issues made both Democrats and Republicans uneasy. "Charles Nicodemus, the Chicago Daily News political editor, was in a majority at the dawn of 1969 when he predicted that Ogilvie "seems certain to find Arrington one of his greatest blessings and biggest burdens." Taylor Pensoneau is an exceptional writer. He tells an exhilarating story of an extraordinary man. He is careful to demonstrate that his subject is not faultless. Mr. Pensoneau shows Russell Arrington as he truly was, supercilious, a man that loved clout and wasn't afraid of it, a man that used those talents to work for the betterment of his state. The photographs bring the reader closer to the life of Russell Arrington. I highly recommend "Power House: Arrington from Illinois" to those that enjoy biographies, politics and history.