Adlai E. Stevenson III, ex-senator and scion of a formidable political family, dies at 90
The former Illinois senator, son of two-time presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson II and great-grandson of a U.S. vice president, died at his Chicago home after a long illness.
Adlai E. Stevenson III, who represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 1970 to 1981 and carried one of American politics' most recognizable family names, died at his Chicago home on September 8, 2021, at age 90, according to ABC7 Chicago. His wife, Nancy Stevenson, confirmed the cause was complications from Lewy body disease, a common form of dementia, after a long illness.
Stevenson was the son of Adlai Stevenson II, the former Illinois governor and two-time Democratic presidential nominee, and the great-grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, who served as U.S. vice president. Before his Senate career, he served as an Illinois state representative and as Illinois state treasurer. As a senator, he focused on commerce, energy and ethics, per ABC7 Chicago's coverage.
"He gave us sort of gentle dignified presence, as opposed to the roughhousing that was often machine politics in Illinois, so he elevated politics in Illinois," said Dick Simpson, a University of Illinois Chicago political science professor, in remarks carried by ABC7 Chicago. "His legacy was being a liberal politician who knew the state very well and stayed close to his roots," added Laura Washington, an ABC7 political analyst.
Two runs for governor, two losses
After leaving the Senate, Stevenson ran for Illinois governor twice, in 1982 and 1986, losing both times to incumbent Republican Jim Thompson. The available coverage does not detail the margins of those races or the specific issues that defined either campaign beyond the outcome itself.
Survivors and later work
Stevenson is survived by his wife, two brothers, four children and nine grandchildren, per ABC7 Chicago. In his post-political life, he founded the Adlai Stevenson Center for Democracy in Libertyville, Illinois, in honor of his father. One report on his death, from The Washington Post, places the date as September 6 rather than September 8; the discrepancy between the two dates was not resolved in the sources reviewed.
Tributes from Washington
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, issued a statement mourning Stevenson as a longtime ally. "Adlai was my friend and partner in countless causes over the years. Like his father before him, Adlai was most at home in the cerebral world of politics," Durbin said, according to a statement posted on his Senate website. Durbin added that Stevenson's "most effective ally in retail politics was his beloved wife, Nancy," calling the two "inseparable and one of the best teams in Illinois Democratic politics," and sent "love and sympathy to Nancy and the family" on behalf of himself and his own wife, Loretta.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, whose Illinois district includes part of Stevenson's old political territory, said in a statement carried on his House website that Stevenson "lived a life committed to public service," citing his work toward ending the war in Vietnam, expanding scientific research investment and raising ethical standards for public officials. Stevenson's Senate record includes sponsoring legislation that led to the creation of the Senate Ethics Committee and co-sponsoring the federal Government in the Sunshine Act, according to the same statement.
US In News compiled this archived account from contemporaneous coverage by ABC7 Chicago, plus statements from Sen. Dick Durbin's office and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's office. It restores a story originally published on this site in September 2021; figures are as reported at the time.