George P. Shadid (May 15, 1929 – February 3, 2018) was an American Democratic politician. He was

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Peoria County, Illinois Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Peoria County was ...

from 1976 to 1993 and was in the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

from 1993 until 2006.

Background

Shadid was born in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

to immigrants from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. At age 14, once in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, Shadid worked with future mayor Jim Maloof at the Maloof family cleaning business. They remained friends until Maloof's death.

Career

Shadid became a police officer in 1953. In 1976, he ran for

of Peoria County. Running as a Democrat, with a Republican campaign manager, he became the first Democrat elected as Peoria County sheriff since 1892. He took up the office of sheriff in December 1976. The 1985 jail and sheriff's complex on Maxwell Road was built during his tenure. By 1993, Shadid was living near

Edwards Edwards may refer to: People * Edwards (surname) * Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile * Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate * Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...

. In 1993, the

46th Senate District seat was vacated by Richard Luft of Pekin when Luft was appointed Illinois Commissioner of Banks and Trusts. Shadid was unanimously chosen as a replacement by Democratic leaders of the district, and was appointed to the

on May 13, 1993.

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was appointed to replace Shadid as sheriff. Shadid retired from the Senate in December 2006 to allow his elected successor, Democrat

David Koehler David Koehler (born December 16, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Illinois, and has been the Illinois State Senator from 46th Legislative District since December 2006. The district includes Canton, East Peoria, Fairview, Lewistown, Maplet ...

, to take office earlier.

Personal life and death

George Shadid had two sons. James E. "Jim" Shadid, is a federal judge. George Shadid Jr., died in 2005. In 2013, Shadid donated his remaining

campaign fund Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political act ...

s to

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

. In November 2014, the Peoria County jail complex on Maxwell Road was named the George P. Shadid Law Enforcement Center. George Shadid died age 88 on February 3, 2018, of natural causes in Peoria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadid, George 1929 births 2018 deaths American politicians of Lebanese descent Politicians from Clinton, Iowa Politicians from Peoria, Illinois Illinois sheriffs Democratic Party Illinois state senators