Donald E. Stephens (March 13, 1928 – April 18, 2007) was the first village president (

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

) of Rosemont,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, US. He was also a leading

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Stephens, born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, is believed to have been the longest-serving mayor in the United States at the time of his death. He was in the middle of serving his thirteenth consecutive four-year term as mayor of the suburban

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

; he almost exceeded the Illinois record for longest-serving mayor, set by Frank Caliper of Colp. He had served as mayor since its incorporation in 1956. Prior to that, he had been the president of the homeowner's association of the neighborhood that later became known as Rosemont. During his tenure, Rosemont grew from a tiny community of only 85 to one of Illinois' most politically important communities, with over 4,000 residents as well as the nation's tenth-largest convention center. Stephens also oversaw the construction of the 18,500 seat

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opened i ...

(formerly the Rosemont Horizon) and the

Rosemont Theatre The Rosemont Theatre is a concert hall in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The venue, which has seats for 4,400 people, opened in 1995 and hosts many different musical artists and shows. It is located near O'Hare International Airport, F ...

Controversy

Stephens' political career was dogged by accusations of association with

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

, which led to the only major political defeat in his career: the revocation of a state-issued casino license for Rosemont. In 1983, Stephens was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...

, in separate prosecutions, for tax fraud and bribery, but was acquitted on both charges. Federal authorities investigated him multiple times throughout his career.

Death

Stephens died in Rosemont on April 18, 2007, of complications of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

. His son Brad succeeded him as mayor.

Personal life

Stephens was also an avid collector of

Hummel figurines Hummel figurines (also known as M.I. Hummel figurines or simply Hummels) are a series of porcelain figurines based on the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, O.S.F. History The sketch art of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel began to appea ...

and established a museum holding his collection in Rosemont. The Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels claims to be the largest public display of Hummel figurines in the world.

References

External links

Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Donald E. 1928 births 2007 deaths Mayors of places in Illinois Politicians from Chicago Deaths from stomach cancer People from Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont, Illinois Deaths from cancer in Illinois 20th-century American politicians Illinois Republicans