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1069256
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1976/10/15-16 - Illinois Train Trip
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1069256
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document
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1976/10/15-16 - Illinois Train Trip
citationUrl
collections
Frances K. Pullen Files
Frances Pullen's Speech Reading Copies
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Illinois
Republican National Committee (U.S.)
President (1974-1977 : Ford). Office of the First Lady. 1974-1977
Presidential campaign, 1976
Voyages and travels
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1069256
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1976-10-31
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10
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1976
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1976-10-01
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10
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 4, folder "Illinois Train Trip, October 15-16,
1976" of the Frances K. Pullen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 4 of the Frances K. Pullen Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Illinois Politics
Illinois has 24 Congressional districts, half of
them are exclusively Chicago and Cook County. Of the
twelve primarily non-Chicago districts, eight of the
twelve are represented by Republicans. (Biographies
and pictures are attached.)
In these so-called downstate districts, the
Republican Congressional Committee thinks the only
GOP incumbent with a tough race is George O'Brien,
a two termer who represents the 17th.
The trip cuts across the 17th, which is a new
district created by court order in 1971. The district,
considered politically marginal, includes the southern
edge of metropolitan Chicago and the fertile farmland
of central Illinois. Joliet is the largest city in
thedistrict. O'Brien's opponent is millionaire farmer,
Merlin Carlock.
The RCC thinks the best downstate Republican chance
to unseat an incumbent is in the 15th, now represented
by Democrat Tim Hall. This is Les Arends' old district,
which has some of the Nation's finest farmland. Hall
won narrowly in 1974.
The GOP nominee is Tom Cochran, a 37-year-old railroad
executive. Cochran, who lives on a family farm in LaSalle
County, is a vice-president of Chicago and Northwestern
Transportation Company. A graduate of Notre Dame, he was
a legislative assistant to a state senator and worked in
the State of Illinois office in Washington. He is married
and has five children. His wife's name is Helenmarie.
Other downstate GOP challengers are Ralph McGinnis,
a college professor running against George Shipley in the
22nd; Sam Drenovac against Melvin Price in the 23rd; and
Peter Prineas challenging Paul Simon in the 24th. The
RCC is pessimistic about all three races.
Neither Adlai Stevenson or Chuck Percy is up for
re-election. There is an important gubernatorial contest
Politics, Page Two
Republican Jim Thompson and Democrat Mike Howlett.
Howlett, Daley's candidate, defeated the incumbent,
Dan Walker, in the primary. Recent stories on that
race are in the final section. The bios and pictures
are from the Illinois Blue Book.
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The Train Trip
The trip on the "Honest Abe" begins at Union
Station in Joliet. This city of 83,000 has an economy
based on manufacturing, chemical and shipping industries.
Shipping on the Illinois-Michigan Canal is an important
part of the Great Lakes to Gulf Waterway.
Congressman George O'Brien, R, describes Joliet
as a blue-collar area with strong ethnic neighborhoods.
The big issues are unemployment, crime, busing and the
grain embargo. A sensitive issue for the President is
the recent Presidential decision to close a large military
arsenal in the Joliet area, which cost about 3,000 jobs.
Norman Keck, the mayor, is a Democrat. Joliet is
also the home of the Illinois State Prison. There is
no official record of a visit by President Ford to
Joliet.
The city had scheduled a salute to Earl Butz on
October 15th, but the event was cancelled. Apparently,
Butz still has strong support in the area, and some
think he got a bum rap from the press.
The handsome, old red brick depot at Pontiac is
soon to be sold or demolished by its owner, the Illinois
Central Gulf Railroad Company. This town of 10,000 is
located in the 15th District, now represented by Democrat
Tim Hall.
Pontiac is having hard times. Two major industries,
Motorola and Sherwin Williams Paint Company, closed this
year. The economic base includes stone quarrying, publishing,
manufacturing and grain production. Mayor Joe Trainor is
a Democrat.
Senator Percy's office reports Pontiac residents blame
poor railroad transportation for the economic depression and
oppose the President's proposal to implement new lock and
dam construction.
The President visited Pontiac in 1968 for a fundraiser.
Trip, Page Two
Bloomington, a city of 40,000, is the site of
Illinois Wesleyan University, and Illinois State
University is located in suburban Normal. The
city is also the headquarters of the Illinois
Agricultural Association.
Located in the Nation's corn belt, Bloomington
also manufactures a wide range of products from cosmetics
and candy to farm machinery.
The Republican Party of Illinois was founded in
Bloomington in May, 1956. President Ford spoke at a
Lincoln Day Dinner in 1969 at Illinois Wesleyan. Jack
visited Illinois State in the spring. Steve visited
both campuses last weekend for homecoming activities.
This is also the home of Earl Butz's brother.
Congressman Edward Madigan, who represents the 21st
District, says support for Butz' agricultural programs
and small independent businesses is important.
Mayor Walter Bitner is a Republican.
The Lincoln stop is for lunch at the Hotel Lincoln,
an old hotel built to resemble an English pub. The
town of almost 20,000 was founded in 1853, and it was
the only town named after Lincoln before he was famous.
Lincoln christened the town in August 1853 by
squeezing the juice of a watermelon on the ground.
A monument near the railroad station marks the spot.
The town hopes to turn the depot into a memorial
to Lincoln. There is a replica of the Postville
Courthouse, which Lincoln visited while on the judicial
circuit between 1847 and 1857. Lincoln College, founded
in 1865, has a museum with Lincoln memorabilia.
The economy of Lincoln is stable, centered around
farming and including small industry. Industriesinclude
manufacture of small electric parts, cosmetics and boxes.
Mayor Edward Malerick is a Republican, and Lincoln also
is in Madigan's 21st District.
Trip, Page Three
The next stop is Springfield, the state capital
with 90,000 residents. The Amtrak station is only
two blocks from the Old State Capitol where Lincoln
served in the state legislature. Other sites associated
with Lincoln include the only home he ever owned, the
home where he and Mary Todd were married and their tomb.
Springfield also is the home of poet. Vachel Lindsay.
The chief employer is the state government. The
Franklin Insurance Company is headquartered there, and
wholesale-retail services are important in the economy.
This is the President's third visit to Springfield,
the most recent last March. Jack and Susan were there
the first weekend of October to kickoff the People for
Ford campaign.
Mayor William Telford is a Republican, and this is
in Rep. Paul Findley's 20th District.
Carlinville, a town of about 6,000, is also in the
20th. The town depends primarily on agriculture and
is presently involved with the harvest. There is concern
over the low prices of corn, wheat and soybeans. Also
in Carlinville is the Monterey Coal Company, which employs
400 people. There is a new deep shaft coal mine.
No incumbent President has ever visited the town.
The area is heavily Democratic and Rep. Findley has never
carried the area. Blackburn College, associated with
the Presbyterian Church, is located there. It is noted
for having every student perform several hours of manual
work every day.
The final stop is Alton with a population of 40,000.
The non-partisan mayor is Paul Lenz. This is also in the
20th District. Alton has astable economy with a diversified
industrial base, including Olin Corporation which manufactures
copper and brass products and ammunition. There are also
several refineries and Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
Historically, Alton was involved in the slavery controversy.
Here, Elija Lovejoy, Abolitionist editor, was murdered while
protecting his press from a pro-slavery mob. In 1858, Alton
Trip, Page Four
was the scene of the final Lincoln-Douglas debate.
The President has never visited Alton,
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