# 1942 Illinois elections

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vte :
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 3, 1942.
Primaries were held April 14, 1942.

## Election information

1942 was a midterm election year in the United States of America.

### Turnout

In the primary election 1,963,298 ballots were cast (1,026,644 Democratic and 936,654 Republican).
In the general election 3,049,312 ballots were cast.

## Federal elections
### United States Senate

Incumbent Republican Charles W. Brooks was reelected.

### United States House

Illinois had redistricted before this election, and had lost one seat due to reapportionment following the 1950 United States census. All of Illinois' remaining 26 seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1942.
Before the election Republicans held 16 seats and Democrats held 11 seats from Illinois. In 1942, Republicans won 19 seats and Democrats won 7 seats.

## State elections
### Treasurer

Incumbent first-term Treasurer, Republican Warren Wright, did not seek reelection, instead opting to run for United States Senate. Republican William G. Stratton was elected to succeed him.

#### Democratic primary

W. D. Forsyth defeated former Illinois Treasurer and Auditor of Public Accounts Edward J. Barrett and two other candidates.
Treasurer Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | W. D. Forsyth | 427,688 | 48.98 |
| | Democratic | Edward J. Barrett | 332,011 | 38.02 |
| | Democratic | Edward J. Callahan | 63,832 | 7.31 |
| | Democratic | John H. Condon | 49,711 | 5.69 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 873,242 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Incumbent congressman William G. Stratton won the Republican nomination.
Treasurer Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | William G. Stratton | 625,445 | 79.27 |
| | Republican | Harold T. Halfpenny | 100,637 | 12.75 |
| | Republican | Charles P. MacAuley | 62,957 | 7.98 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 789,039 | 100 |

#### General election

Treasurer election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | William G. Stratton | 1,553,944 | 54.25 |
| | Democratic | W. D. Forsyth | 1,300,091 | 45.39 |
| | Prohibition | William G. Goodman | 10,537 | 0.37 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,864,572 | 100 |

### Superintendent of Public Instruction

Incumbent second-term Superintendent of Public Instruction John A. Wieland, a Democrat, lost re-election, being unseated by Republican Vernon L. Nickell.-

#### Democratic primary

Superintendent of Public Instruction Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | John A. Wieland (incumbent) | 777,534 | 100 |
| | Write-in | Others | 19 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 777,553 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Superintendent of Public Instruction Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Vernon L. Nickell | 348,379 | 48.56 |
| | Republican | Wiley B. Garvin | 151,007 | 21.05 |
| | Republican | Michael I. Cleary | 114,804 | 16.00 |
| | Republican | W. C. Handlin | 103,276 | 14.40 |
| | Write-in | Others | 1 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 717,467 | 100 |

#### General election

Superintendent of Public Instruction election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Vernon L. Nickell | 1,497,550 | 52.71 |
| | Democratic | John A. Wieland (incumbent) | 1,333,679 | 46.94 |
| | Prohibition | Clay Freeman Gaumer | 9,944 | 0.35 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,841,173 | 100 |

### State Senate

Seats in the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1942. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

### State House of Representatives

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1942. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

### Trustees of University of Illinois

An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois. All three Republican nominees won. With their net increase of two seats in this election, Republicans captured a majority of seats on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
Incumbent Republican Chester R. Davis (elected in a special election two years prior) was reelected. New Republican members Martin G. Luken and Frank H. McKelvey were also elected.
Incumbent Democrats Homer M. Adams and James M. Cleary were not renominated.
Kenney E. Williamson, one of the Democratic Party nominees, had briefly served before, having been appointed in 1940.
Trustees of the University of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Chester R. Davis (incumbent) | 1,515,787 | 18.08 |
| | Republican | Frank H. McKelvey | 1,500,721½ | 17.90 |
| | Republican | Martin G. Luken | 1,476,031½ | 17.60 |
| | Democratic | T. V. Smith | 1,322,287½ | 15.77 |
| | Democratic | Walter Williams | 1,272,182½ | 15.17 |
| | Democratic | Kenney E. Williamson | 1,265,520½ | 15.09 |
| | Prohibition | Mildred E. Young | 11,542 | 0.14 |
| | Prohibition | Alonzo L. Parrott | 10,927½ | 0.13 |
| | Prohibition | Minnie Broom Koss | 10,563 | 0.13 |
| | Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 8,385,565 | 100 |

### Judicial elections
#### Supreme Court

On June 1, 1942, several districts of the Supreme Court of Illinois had elections.

##### 1st district

Republican Charles H. Thompson unseated Democratic incumbent Paul Farthing.
1st district Supreme Court of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Charles H. Thompson | 55,832 | 50.99 |
| | Democratic | Paul Farthing (incumbent) | 53,667 | 49.01 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 109,499 | 100 |

##### 2nd district

Republican incumbent June C. Smith with reelected.
2nd district Supreme Court of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | June C. Smith (incumbent) | 48,380 | 57.47 |
| | Democratic | D.H. Mudge | 35,811 | 42.54 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 84,191 | 100 |

##### 3rd district

Republican incumbent Walter T. Gunn was reelected, running unopposed.
3rd district Supreme Court of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Walter T. Gunn (incumbent) | 14,208 | 98.67 |
| | Others | Write-in | 192 | 1.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,400 | 100 |

##### 6th district

Incumbent Democrat Elwyn Riley Shaw was unseated by Republican William J. Fulton.
6th district Supreme Court of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | William J. Fulton | 35,015 | 74.51 |
| | Democratic | Elwyn R. Shaw (incumbent) | 11,976 | 25.49 |
| | Others | Write-in | 1 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 46,992 | 100 |

##### 7th district

Incumbent Democrat Francis S. Wilson was reelected, running unopposed.
7th district Supreme Court of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Francis S. Wilson (incumbent) | 254,707 | 99.78 |
| | Others | Write-in | 552 | 0.22 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 255,259 | 100 |

#### Lower courts

Election were held on November 3, 1942 to fill two vacancies on the 16th Judicial Circuit and one vacancy on the 17th Judicial Circuit.
An election was held November 3, 1942 to fill two vacancies on the Superior Court of Cook County.

### Ballot measure

One measure was put before voters in 1942.

#### Illinois Revenue Amendment

The Illinois Revenue Amendment, a proposed amendment to Section 1 of Article IX of the Constitution, failed to meet the threshold for approval.
If approved, this amendment would have enabled the legislature to exempt from certain taxes businesses that sold food for human consumption, allowing the legislature to define the word "food".
In order to be approved, legislatively referred constitutional amendments required approval equal to a majority of voters voting in the entire general election.
Illinois Revenue Amendment :
| Option | Votes | % of all ballots cast |
| Yes | 979,892 | 32.14 |
| No | 346,232 | 11.35 |
| Total votes | 1,326,124 | 43.49 |

## Local elections

Local elections were held.