James Donnewald

James H. Donnewald was born in Carlyle, Illinois on January 29, 1925. His family moved to Joliet, Illinois when he was in sixth grade, but returned to Carlyle his final year of high school. He entered Saint Louis University in 1942 and transferred to Lincoln College of Law in Springfield, Illinois in 1944. Donnewald joined the United States Army after the start of the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1951. Donnewald began the practice of law in 1952.{{cite book|last=Casey|first=Charles T. (Chairman)|title=Breese Centennial Celebration 1856-1956|date=July 1, 1956|publisher=Breese Historical Committee|location=Breese, Illinois|page=75|access-date=October 1, 2024|url=https://archive.org/details/breesecentennial00bree/page/74/mode/2up?q=Donnewald|via=Internet Archive}} In 1948, Donnewald was elected as a Democratic precinct committeeman. He was elected as a Carlyle Township Supervisor in 1949 where he would serve until 1951. He served as the City Attorney of Breese, Illinois in 1956.{{cite book|title=Breese Centennial Celebration 1856-1956|page=11|access-date=October 1, 2024|url=https://archive.org/details/breesecentennial00bree/page/11/mode/2up?q=Donnewald|via=Internet Archive}}

He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1960 and re-elected in 1962. He was subsequently elected to the state Senate 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, Thom Serafin, and William Griffin,Neal, Steve. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/02/02/donnewald-winds-up-race-in-vote-country/ "Donnewald Winds Up Race In Vote Country"], Chicago Tribune, Chicago, February 02, 1986. Retrieved July 14, 2015 he was defeated by Jerome Cosentino, 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 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was 84.[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=78195 Profile from Our Campaigns]{{cite news|url=http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x2023996143/Former-Illinois-Treasurer-James-Donnewald-dies-at-84|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229110154/http://www.sj-r.com/x2023996143/Former-Illinois-Treasurer-James-Donnewald-dies-at-84|date=September 19, 2009|archive-date=February 29, 2012|newspaper=The State Journal-Register|title=Former Illinois Treasurer James Donnewald dies at 84}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the Illinois Senate
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{{s-ttl|title=Treasurer of Illinois|years=1983–1987}}

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{{s-end}}

{{Illinois State Treasurers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnewald, James}}

Category:1925 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:People from Carlyle, Illinois

Category:State treasurers of Illinois

Category:Democratic Party Illinois state senators

Category:Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives

Category:20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly

Category:Lincoln College of Law alumni

Category:Illinois lawyers

Category:20th-century American lawyers