William Lorimer (politician)

William Lorimer (* April 27, 1861 in Manchester, United Kingdom, † September 13, 1934 in Chicago ) was a U.S. Representative ( Republican), who represented the state of Illinois in both chambers of Congress.

A native of England William Lorimer was still a young boy when his family emigrated to the United States in 1866 and initially settled there in Michigan. 1870 then saw the move to Chicago. Lorimer grew up without education and went ten years with a sign painter in teaching. He then worked in the meat production and for a street railway company; later he got into the real estate business.

1895 Lorimer was first elected to the House of Representatives of the United States, where he represented the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois until 1901. After being voted out in 1900, he returned on March 4, 1903 in Congress, this time for the 6th District. He laid down his mandate on 17 June 1909 after he was elected U.S. Senator. Three years later, the Chicago Tribune published the statement by Charles A. White, a Member of the House of Representatives from Illinois, Lorimer had paid him for his voice $ 1,000. At this time, the senators were not chosen by the respective state parliaments and not by the people.

After an investigation and a bitter debate, the Senate issued a resolution calling for Lorimer's election corrupt methods had been applied, which is why it has been declared invalid. William Lorimer therefore had to resign from the Congress on 13 July 1912. He was then until 1915 the president of a bank and eventually operated in the timber business, before he died in Chicago in 1934.