SAMUEL H. SHAPIRO was born Israel Shapiro in Estonia and immigrated to the United States at a young age. After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law, he practiced in Kankakee. He went on to win election as state’s attorney (county prosecutor) of Kankakee County. He was also a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1947 to 1961.Shapiro was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1960 and reelected in 1964. He became governor when Otto Kerner Jr. resigned to accept appointment to the federal appellate court. In 1968, Shapiro ran for election to a full term of his own but was narrowly defeated by his Republican opponent, Richard Ogilvie. An alumnus of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, Shapiro led the effort to establish a permanent headquarters for the fraternity’s national offices. He died in Kankakee and is buried in Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park.
Current assignment referenced in the congressional directory.
