Editing William Stratton (section)

==Governor==
He won the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nomination for governor [[1952 Illinois gubernatorial election|in 1952]] and defeated Lieutenant Governor [[Sherwood Dixon]] to become the youngest [[governor (United States)|governor in America]] at the time.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1959-60"/>{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} Stratton was re-elected governor [[1956 Illinois gubernatorial election|in 1956]]. [[1960 Illinois gubernatorial election|in 1960]], he ran for an unprecedented third consecutive term, but was defeated by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Otto Kerner, Jr.]] {{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Stratton was acquitted on charges of [[tax evasion]] in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=icZaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7271,1831888&dq=william+stratton+tax+evasion&hl=en|title=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref> In 1968, he ran in the Republican primary for Governor and was defeated by [[Richard B. Ogilvie]]. Stratton finished a distant third, with only about seven percent of the primary vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=384663|title=Our Campaigns - IL Governor|date=June 11, 1968|website=ourcampaigns.com}}</ref>

Mr. Stratton considered the construction of the first 200 miles of the Illinois tollway system as one of his biggest achievements, his wife, Shirley, said in a telephone interview.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/05/us/william-stratton-illinois-governor-87.html|title = William Stratton; Illinois Governor, 87|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 5 March 2001}}</ref>

During his tenure, state hospital reforms were instituted that included beds for inmates, a bond issue was approved that funded the state’s expressway system, the first woman was chosen in a cabinet level status, and an improved state sales tax was initiated and used in school programs. After running unsuccessfully for a third term, Stratton left office on January 9, 1961.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nga.org/governor/william-grant-stratton/|title = William Grant Stratton}}</ref>