Grace Mary Stern (née Dain; July 10, 1925 – May 17, 1998) was an American Democratic politician who served in both houses of the Illinois legislature, but was unsuccessful in her 1982 run for Lieutenant Governor, which would have made her the first woman in Illinois history to hold elected statewide office.

Early and family life

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Stern attended Wellesley College. She married Herbert (Hub) Stern and helped raise ten children: a daughter, Ann Dain; three sons,

Peter Suber Peter Dain Suber (born November 8, 1951) is a philosopher specializing in the philosophy of law and open access to knowledge. He is a Senior Researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Director of the Harvard Office for Scholarl ...

, Tom Suber, and Jack Suber; a stepdaughter, Gwen Stern; two stepsons, Bob Stern and Hub Stern III; and three foster children, Joann Shimizu Sweet, Mark Shimizu, and Leonard Gowers.

Career

She raised her family in Highland Park, Illinois, and began her political career in 1966 as assistant township supervisor for Deerfield Township, Illinois. With a campaign slogan "Not one of the boys", Stern was elected to the

Lake County, Illinois Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat ...

Board, serving from 1967-70. In 1970, she became the first

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to win election to countywide office in Lake County since the American Civil War, and served as the Lake County clerk from 1970 to 1982. Stern became the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1982, but she and the party's gubernatorial nominee, Adlai Stevenson III, lost narrowly (by 5,074 votes statewide, or 0.14 percent of the vote) to incumbent Republican Governor

James R. Thompson James Robert Thompson Jr. (May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020), also known as Big Jim Thompson, was an American attorney and politician who served as the 37th governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991. A moderate Republican who sometimes took more ...

and his running mate (later disgraced Governor)

George Ryan George Homer Ryan (born February 24, 1934) is an American former politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 39th governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003. Elected in 1998, Ryan received national attention for his 1999 mora ...

. Stern continued to be known for her wit, charm and dedication to public service as she served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993. Mrs. Stern also became known for her support of women's issues, equal rights, gun control, voter registration, the disadvantaged and the mentally ill. In 1992 Stern narrowly defeated Republican Roger Keats based on winning 77% of the Lake County votes in the two-county, 29th senatorial district and served 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 ...

from 1993 until 1995. Knowing that she was a prime target of North Shore Republicans hoping to regain the seat and control of the Illinois Senate, Stern sometimes even taped a target to her back. In 1994, a poor election year for Democrats, Stern narrowly lost her campaign for re-election to Republican Kathy Parker.

Death and legacy

Stern died at her Highland Park home after a two year battle with brain cancer. She was survived by her children and ten grandchildren. Among politicians of both parties attending her funeral were her former running-mate Adlai Stevenson III, fellow Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch (who in 1990 won election as

Illinois Comptroller The Comptroller of Illinois is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Ten individuals have held the office of Comptroller since the enactment of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, replacing ...

, becoming the first woman in Illinois history to win a statewide elected office), and Republicans Kathy Parker and current Lake County clerk Willard Helander. Her papers are held in the archives of the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

. As noted by the Illinois General Assembly in their memorial resolution, Stern received numerous humanitarian awards in her lifetime, and a scholarship was established in her memory at

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Grace Mary 1925 births 1998 deaths Politicians from Holyoke, Massachusetts People from Highland Park, Illinois People from Lake County, Illinois Wellesley College alumni Women state legislators in Illinois County clerks in Illinois County board members in Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Deaths from cancer in Illinois Deaths from brain cancer in the United States 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians