Harry B. Hershey (March 8, 1885 – August 3, 1967) was an American jurist. Hershey was born March 8, 1885, in

Mifflin, Ohio Mifflin is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 137 at the 2010 census. History Mifflin was originally called Petersburg, and under the latter name was laid out in 1816. A post office called Mifflin was establishe ...

. His family moved to

Taylorville, Illinois Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2020 census, making it the county's largest city. History Taylorville was founded on May 24, 1839, and was named after J ...

where Hershey was educated in Taylorville public schools. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dist ...

. Hershey was admitted to the bar in 1911. The next year, he was elected City Attorney of Taylorville and shortly there after elected State's Attorney for

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

. Hershey served two terms as State's Attorney from 1912 to 1920. He then served two, two-year terms as the Mayor of Taylorville from 1922 to 1926. In 1940, Hershey defeated incumbent Lieutenant Governor

John Henry Stelle John Henry Stelle (August 10, 1891 – July 5, 1962) was an American politician who served as the National Commander of The American Legion from 1945 to 1946. He previously served as the 29th Governor of Illinois (1940–41), the 34th lieuten ...

in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. In the general election, Republican nominee and former U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois

Dwight H. Green Dwight Herbert Green (January 9, 1897 – February 20, 1958) was an American politician who served as the 30th Governor of the US state of Illinois, serving from 1941 to 1949. From childhood to early adulthood Green was born in Ligonier, No ...

defeated Hershey with 52.93% of the vote to Hershey's 46.74% of the vote. After having served as general counsel for the Bureau of Liquidation, Conservation and Rehabilitation for the Department of Insurance from 1932 to 1940, Governor Adlai Stevenson appointed Hershey the department's director in 1949. He served in this position until he joined the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

from the 2nd district. He served on the court until 1966. Hershey died in a hospital in Taylorville, Illinois.'Former Judge Harry Hershey Is Dead At 82,' Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1967, section 1, pg. 12

Notes

1885 births 1967 deaths People from Taylorville, Illinois People from Ashland County, Ohio University of Chicago Law School alumni University of Illinois alumni Illinois Democrats Mayors of places in Illinois Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 20th-century American judges {{Illinois-politician-stub