Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (10 October 1930-6 September 2001) was Treasurer of Illinois from 9 January 1967 to 17 November 1970 (succeeding William J. Scott) and preceding Charles W. Woodford) and a US Senator from Illinois from 17 November 1970 to 3 January 1981 (succeeding Ralph Tyler Smith and preceding Alan J. Dixon).
Biography[]
Adlai Ewing Stevenson III was born in Chicago, Illinois on 10 October 1930, the son of Democratic politician Adlai Stevenson II. He served as a US Marine Corps lieutenant during the Korean War, practiced law, served in the State House in 1965 to 1967, as State Treasurer from 1967 to 1970, and in the US Senate from 1970 to 1981, defeating the Republican US Senator Ralph Tyler Smith in a special election held following Senator Everett Dirksen's death. Stevenson oversaw the ending of all foreign aid to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, mulled over a presidential or vice-presidential bid in 1976, and retired in 1980. He ran for Governor in 1982 and 1986, losing to James R. Thompson both times, once by just .14%. In 1986, rather than run alongside Lyndon LaRouche's followers (who had won the Democratic nominations for Lieutenant-Governor and Secretary of State), Stevenson formed the Illinois Solidarity Party, losing the general election with 40% of the vote. After retiring from politics, Stevenson was active in business and cultural relations with East Asia, and he died of Lewy body disease in 2021 at the age of 90.