George E. Sangmeister

Who was George E. Sangmeister?

George Edward Sangmeister was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He originally represented Illinois' 4th District, before it was renumbered as the 11th district.

Sangmeister was born in Frankfort, Illinois. He attended Joliet Junior College before entering the military and serving in the Korean War. After returning to private life, he attended Elmhurst College and then earned a law degree from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

Sangmeister spent several years in private law practice before becoming a magistrate for Will County, Illinois in 1961. In 1964, he became the county's district attorney.

In 1972, Sangmeister was elected as a Democrat to the Illinois House of Representatives. In 1976, after two terms in the state House, he was elected to the Illinois Senate. Sangmeister became a powerful Democratic leader in the state Senate, and, in 1986, Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Adlai Stevenson III chose Sangmeister as his running mate. However, Sangmeister lost to Lyndon LaRouche activist Mark Fairchild in the primary.