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Preface This c~ral history of Carl Wittmond's service in the Illinois House of Representatives is a product of the Illinois Legislative Research Unit's General Assembly Oral llistory Program. The oral history technique adds :i distinctive new dimension to the unit's statutory responsibility for performing research and collecting information conrerning the government of the state. Carl Wittmond was horn in Brussels, Illinois on Fehruary 2.1, 1905. His family had operated a Cnlhoun County hotel and other businesses for several generations. As a young I)o!. he helped in the family work and also came to love the unique region lying between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. He attended local schools and Quincy ('allege, after which he settled in Brussels and assumed responsibilit>- for rnantiging the various family enterprises. In addition to the, hotel and a restaurant, he practiced farming and later purchased a local newspaper. Lluring the, years of the Great Depression Mr. Wittrnortd became active in county Democrat ~mlitics. He met many of thr prominent state politicians of that era, and also served terms on the local school board, as village trustee and as county public administrator. He and his nife Zelora continued to make Brussels their home. Ifis 1950 campaign for election to the lllinois House of Representatives was unsuccessfol, hut four years later he won. In all Rlr. Wittmond served six terms in the house. from 1955 to 1967. While participating in most of the major issues and programs of his time, he took a special interest in serving the special needs of his Calhoun County constituents. He was instrumental in establishing a stateoperated ferry across the Illinois River, and also in promoting construction of the Great River Road along the Mississippi River. His rnemoir includcs candid observations about the Iegislativt~ issues and personalities of his time. After leaving the legislat~~re in 196'7 he rtmumed active management of his business interests. Readers of this oral history should hear in mind that it is a transcript of the spoken word. Its informal, conversational style reprrsents a deliberate attempt to encourage candor and to tap the narrator's memory. However. persons interested in listen in^ to the tapes should understand that editoria1 considerations produced a text that differs somewhat from the original recordings. Both the recordings and this transcript should he regarded as primary historical sources, as no effort was made to correct or rhallengc the narrator. Keither the Illinois Legislative Research Unit nor Snngamon Stair University is responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for views expressed therein; these are for the re:ider to judge. The Lape recorded interviews were conducted by Horace Waggoner during the fall of 1982 and the spring of 1983. hlr. Waygoner was born in 19'24 in Waggoner, a small farm-service Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
orrrniilnity in central Illinois. At ace 18, ht? enlisted for military rervirr in \Vorl~l\Var I1 and, as a U.S. Air Force comn~issioncti officer., continu~cl to serve 11nti1 1Yi:j. lJpon leaving seraict,, he resumed his formal clluration, ;irhirving a rn;lrtrr degree in history at Sangan11111 State university. He was associated with the Sangamon State I!nirel.sity Or~d Ilistory Office from l9i6 until his death in 1987. Julir Alli!n transcribe11 thr tapes and, after the transcriptions ii-ere cditrd 11y hlirhael Tirpak, prepared the typescript. Florence Hardin compiled the indrx. The .4ltr1n TelPgraph an11 the Chicago TI.ihune provided valuat,le assistance in the pre-intervieiv research. This oral history may be read, quote11 and cited freel?. It may no1 hr reproduced in s~holc~ or in part by any means, electronic or mechanical, nithout twitten permission Eronl t h llli~ ~ nois Legislative Research Lnit, Suite A, 222 So. College, Springfield, Illinois. 6270.1. Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Special Collections, University of Illinois at Springfield
Page 1: University of Illinois at Springfie
Page 5: CARL WIITMOND ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REP
Page 9 and 10: Carl Wittmond SESSION I, TAPE 1, SI
Page 11 and 12: A: Yes. Q: Okay. And then your fath
Page 13 and 14: County that had a spur on this side
Page 15 and 16: A: It's peculiar how you always rem
Page 17 and 18: Q: I see. (chuckles) A: Out of the
Page 19 and 20: A: . . . and he took care of you. A
Page 21 and 22: A: Oh yes. You'd have a showboat he
Page 23 and 24: A: Yes it really happened. This thi
Page 25 and 26: my motber had to scrape around here
Page 27 and 28: that's how narrow people are you kn
Page 29 and 30: you know. It wasn't too prosperous.
Page 31 and 32: A: Well, I guess it was. I guess 1
Page 33 and 34: to stay all night to go to a show a
Page 35 and 36: A: I guess that just becamea a knac
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Carl Wittmond Memoir -- Archives/Sp
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Q. (chuckles) We11 this kind of gav
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Q: You sa) you were going to school
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A: Sunir. yes, oh yes. I've got sev
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Q: LVell hou did he po about gettin
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A: Oh yes sure, they used to dl, a
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ha\.? to come hc,ll:r to t'3t or so
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Anii the Eagles anif the Elks, I ha
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half of the peul,lr never elen knrw
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A: Well, in the first place, they'd
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Monday morning from Brussels. And m
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an argunirnt Iatrr UII a1111 the12
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Q: I I a n e llad you known Paul Po
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.4: Yes, somehody got hurt and Q: .
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him. Down there - see. Blackie uras
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Nuniber two, the secretary of state
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kind of a mystery place anyway, no
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anything you'd want if you'd want i
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Q: Kind of cleaned it up then. A: B
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Q: Yes that \+-as later A: I can't
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A: Probably was I think, yes. I did
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Maybe a lot of them was in. Like Bi
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other people would go see until the
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- "Oh." he said, "he makes eighty f
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.A: Oh, in his ofice, many a time.
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district. Powell said, "YIIu'~ h~tt
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.A: Oh atlout - yes, hr shall have
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thrsrr. ant1 Iru) them. And I don't
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;mil the key Dcrnocrats. the) xverc
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you ran't beat." I said, "Some day
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:I: Yes I ren~ernher that. :I: I pr
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.A: Yes. they was \.otiny and vice
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Q: What was your position on that?
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Q Did she usually do it at your des
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a lot of the cunstituents don't un~
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A: Yes I remember him Q: \Ye11 let'
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11: 011 I never did get excited ove
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'1: Oh 1 probahl) thought there wer
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to hlock it if he wanted to. So man
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it would he alright or whatever the
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Q: Yes. A somrthing. fle might have
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Q: Well let's see, he lived in Edwa
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Q: Oh, I see. A: Ht. thought that 1
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in the Granite City area - he was t
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:I: Oh yes, oh yes Q: What other ro
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So I put the bill in anyway to get
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A: . . . get credit for it, see, if
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A: I ctin't rrcall anymore \\.hat i
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A: hutuhahn, over in . . . Q: Germa
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Q: Well. Do you recall any particul
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I'd voted for the bill. That would
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Q: Let's see, the Zion [Illinois Be
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:\: Ile nrust not have run ;my more
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A: Wide open sparrs, that's right.
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Q: I'd like to ask first today abwt
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.A: Yes 1 can rt,call something of
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Q: Oh. He wanted the department you
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kno~r-. (;- I could have got on but
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who knrn. sonrething ahuut agrirult
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.A: \Vr ~ntrrtainzd several - one t
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town. And a lot of people was compl
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:I: Oh, n-c went a few other places
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.A: Not at that timc but they promo
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some of then1 - hut their unions ar
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sonielhing happened. I think I had
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Index .Ahl.nhani Lincoln Hl~tcal. 1
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Hinan, Martin, 79 IIitler, Adolph,
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