Roger A. Keats (born August 12, 1948) is an American politician and businessman. Keats was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the United States Army from 1972 to 1974. He received his bachelor's degree from University of Michigan. He worked in the bank business and started ''Gallatan National'' a construction and civil engineer business. He lived in Wilmette, Illinois. At various points in his early career, Keats was a teacher and a legislative assistant in Washington D.C. He also served as the Republican campaign coordinator in Northern Illinois during 1972 general election. In the 1976 general election, Republican incumbent

Brian Duff Brian Barnett Duff (September 15, 1930 – February 25, 2016) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Duff was born on September 15, 1930, in Dallas, Texa ...

opted to run for a judgeship in the

Cook County Circuit Court The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 24 judicial circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the United States — second only in size to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County since that court ...

. Keats was elected as one of three members, with John Porter and Harold Katz, from the 1st district to serve in the 80th General Assembly. Duff resigned before the end of the 79th General Assembly to assume his role as a judge. Local Republican leaders appointed Representative-elect Keats to the Illinois House to serve during the veto session of the 79th General Assembly. Keats served in 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 ...

from 1976 to 1979. In 1977, incumbent Senator Brad Glass sought the Republican nomination for

Illinois Treasurer The Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois. Current Occupant The current Treasurer of Illinois is Democrat Mike Frerichs. He was first elected to head t ...

. In the 1978 general election, Republican Keats defeated Democratic candidate Cathleen Quinn O'Rourke to succeed Glass in the Illinois Senate. He then served in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

from 1979 to 1993. In the 1992 general election, Keats lost the Republican-friendly 29th district to Democratic State Representative

Grace Mary Stern 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 ...

. In 1995, he was appointed to the Illinois International Port District by Governor Jim Edgar. During the

2008 Republican Party presidential primaries From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Republican Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator John McCain of Arizona was selected as the nominee through a series of primary electio ...

, Keats worked on behalf of the presidential campaign of former U.S. Senator

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Tennessee f ...

serving as a congressional district chair for Illinois's 10th congressional district. In 2010, Keats was the Republican nominee for President of the

Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...

. In 2013, Keats and his wife moved to

Dripping Springs, Texas Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,650 at the 2020 census. Dripping Springs is a primarily rural town. Geography Dripping Springs is in northern Hays County at (30.191998, –98.085382). It is ...

.'Illinois Blue Book 1991–1992,' Biographical Sketch of Roger A. Keats, pg. 96

Notes

1948 births Living people Politicians from Cleveland Military personnel from Cleveland People from Wilmette, Illinois People from Dripping Springs, Texas Businesspeople from Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Republican Party Illinois state senators University of Michigan alumni {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub