“Veteran journalist Hartley captures neatly the ‘do good and do well’ political culture of southern Illinois through incisive portraits of three of the region’s most colorful and effective political leaders.”—Jim Nowlan, coauthor of Illinois Politics and Fixing Illinois
“They certainly were not choir boys, but these colorful politicians from southern Illinois harmonized politically to make some beautiful music for their part of the state—among other things, landing millions and millions in state dollars to create a major university. Robert Hartley, with painstaking craftsmanship, profiles three men—one a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient—who enhanced their region and their net worth as they took southern Illinois to the zenith of its clout in Springfield.”—Mike Lawrence, retired director, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
“Author Robert E. Hartley, in his latest book, has told a political story that he says a lot of people in Southern Illinois may find shocking. It can feel like ancient history now in more ways than one. But it wasn’t all that terribly long ago that Southern Illinois lawmakers teamed up to dominate the political landscape in Springfield, he writes. The book focuses on three men who were the major driving forces of the action for a roughly 30- year period from 1945 to 1975. Hartley provides an up-close look at their reign, and . . . chronicles how Powell, Choate and Stelle—small- town men with big ideas, and even bigger personalities—worked in Springfield to change the face of Southern Illinois
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For this region, the most noted legacy of that era of political deal-making remains SIU’s transition from a small teacher’s college to a major university. While the vision of expansion has been credited to SIU President Delyte Morris, he could not have accomplished the feat without the assistance of his political friends willing to wheel and deal with lawmakers from the populous Chicago region. When it came to raining state dollars onto SIU, Powell, and Choate “delivered the goods,” Hartley writes.”—Molly Parker, The Southern Illinoisan
:The Dealmakers of Downstate Illinois succeeds in presenting three Illinoisans who were able to work together with political acumen and resourcefulness to better their region while in office. Their stories represent a refreshing perspective on how legislators can achieve policy change, which is difficult to find in the modern political environment. Individuals with an interest in Illinois politics or American political history will enjoy this work."--Austin Trantham, Jacksonville University
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