Illinois Government Affairs

Today marks 200 years since the First Illinois Constitution (#124 on my Illinois 200 list), which was in effect from 1818 to 1848.  The Second Constitution was in effect from 1848 to 1870 (#125).  The third was in effect from 1870 to 1970 (#126).  And the fourth and current constitution has been in effect since its adoption on December 15, 1970 (#127).

The Illinois General Assembly (#128) has 59 senators, each representing a district that is divided into two further districts, each of which is represented by one of 118 members of the House of Representatives.  The legislators currently meet in the capital city of Springfield in the capitol building (#129) topped with a silvery dome that was fully completed in 1888 (please see below).

I took this picture during a 2013 visit to the Illinois State Capitol.

Connected to the Capitol Building through an underground passageway is the Stratton Building (#130), which contains offices for the members of the General Assembly.  Other buildings in the capitol complex that house various state offices include the Norton Building (#131), the Howlett Building (#132), the Willard Ice Building (#133), the Armory Building (#134), the Attorney General building (#135), and the Illinois State Museum (#136).

The capitol building houses offices for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.  Bruce Rauner (#137) is currently serving as the 42nd governor of Illinois.  Shadrack Bond was the first governor, from 1818-1822 (#138).  The longest serving governor was James "Jim" Thompson (#139), who served for 14 years.  He has a building, the Thompson Center (#140), named for him in the Loop in Downtown Chicago that houses state offices.  Evelyn Sanguinetti is currently serving as the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and the first Hispanic woman to hold the office (#141).  The first woman to be elected to that office was Corinne Wood (#142).  The first lieutenant governor was Pierre Menard (#143).

Not too far from the current capitol building is the previous state capitol (please see below), which was in use as capitol from 1839 to 1876.

I took this photo during a 2005 visit to Springfield.

The Great Seal of the State of Illinois (#144), which is featured on the Illinois state flag (#145), contains the state motto, "State Sovereignty, National Union" (#146) on a banner in the beak of an eagle (#147).  The word sovereignty is printed upside down, to demonstrate a preference for National Union, a sentiment born out of Northern antebellum leanings toward preserving the Union.  The date of the adoption of the first Illinois Constitution, August 26, 1818 (#148), is featured on the seal.