Leroy Arthur Ufkes (September 8, 1923 – October 18, 2011) was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Bear Creek Township,

Hancock County, Illinois Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,620. Its county seat is Carthage, and its largest city is Hamilton. The county is made up of rural towns with many farmers. Hanco ...

, Ufkes graduated from Carthage High School,

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census, Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

, in 1940. Ufkes served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was honorably discharged with the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. He received his bachelor's degree from Carthage College. Ufkes also went to

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

to study engineering. In 1950, Ufkes received his law degree from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States by the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Sch ...

. Ufkes practiced law in Carthage, Illinois and also served as an Illinois special state assistant attorney general. Ufkes was a longtime activist with the Republican Party. When

Kent Slater Kent Slater (born November 25, 1945) is a former American judge and politician. Born in Hampton, Iowa, Slater served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971 and was stationed in South Vietnam. He received his bachelor's degree in agriculture ...

resigned from 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 ...

, Ufkes was appointed by the Republican county party chairs from

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

McDonough McDonough is an Irish surname. Origins and variants The surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Donnchadha", which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donough. The name itself consists of elements meaning "brown (donn)" or Donn “t ...

and

Schuyler Schuyler may refer to: Places United States * Schuyler County, Illinois * Schuyler County, Missouri * Schuyler, Nebraska, a city * Schuyler County, New York * Schuyler, New York, a town * Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York * Schuyler C ...

by a weighted vote to complete Slater's term. He served in the 85th General Assembly for two days, from January 9 to January 11, 1989. During his two-day tenure, he voted to extend a program to help individuals in poverty pay their utility bills. The measure passed unanimously.

Bill Edley Bill Edley (born March 16, 1948) is an American businessman and Democratic politician from Illinois. Early life Bill Edley was born March 16, 1948 in Canton, Illinois. He attended Spoon River College and received his bachelor's degree in investm ...

, who defeated Kenneth G. McMillan in the 1988 election, succeeded Ufkes. Ufkes died at a hospital in Carthage, Illinois on October 18, 2011. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.

Notes

External links

* 1923 births 2011 deaths People from Carthage, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois Carthage College alumni Texas Tech University alumni Louisiana State University alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni Illinois lawyers Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub