James H. Donnewald (January 29, 1925 – September 18, 2009) was an American

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 ...

from the state of

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 ...

. He was a

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 ...

who served as state

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

from 1983 until 1987. Donnewald was born in 1925 in

Carlyle, Illinois Carlyle is a city in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,253 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Clinton County. Carlyle is located approximately east of St. Louis, Missouri, and is home to Illinois' largest ...

. A lawyer by profession, he graduated from the

Lincoln College of Law Lincoln College of Law was a law college in Springfield, Illinois from 1911 to 1953. In 1924, the Lincoln College of Law added a junior college program for training paralegals A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist ...

, Springfield, Illinois in 1949 and was admitted to the bar in 1951. In 1948, Donnewald was elected as a Democratic

precinct committeeman A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political ...

. He was elected as a Carlyle Township Supervisor in 1949 where he would serve until 1951. He was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1960 and re-elected in 1962. He was subsequently elected to the

state Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 1964. During his tenure, he would serve as the assistant Senate majority leader. In 1982, he was elected as the state Treasurer. Despite the support for his reelection in 1986 by the Illinois Democratic Central Committee, including U.S. Senator

Alan Dixon Alan John Dixon (July 7, 1927 – July 6, 2014) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1951 to 1971, as the Illinois Treasurer from 1971 to 1977, as the Illinois Secretary of ...

, Thom Serafin, and William Griffin, he was defeated by

Jerome Cosentino Jerome "Jerry" Cosentino (June 13, 1931 – April 3, 1997) was an American politician from the state of Illinois. He was a Democrat who served as state Treasurer from 1979 until 1983, and again from 1987 until 1991. Life and politics Cosenti ...

, who was also his predecessor. He left office in 1987 and retired from elective politics. Donnewald died on September 18, 2009, at

Barnes-Jewish Hospital Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, it is the adult teaching hospital for the Washington University School of Medicine and a major component of ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He was 84.Obituary
from ''The State Journal-Register''

Notes

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Donnewald, James 1925 births 2009 deaths People from Carlyle, Illinois State treasurers of Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians Lincoln College of Law alumni Illinois lawyers 20th-century American lawyers