James R. Washburn

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James R. Washburn (April 25, 1921 – August 8, 2007) was an American politician from Morris, Illinois. He served as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and studied at North Central College and the University of Illinois. In 1946, he became Grundy County Treasurer, the youngest countywide official in the county’s history. He later worked in state offices, including the Office of the Illinois State Superintendent, the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, and the Office of the Governor of Illinois. A Republican, Washburn was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1966 and served from 1967 to 1977, becoming House Minority Leader in 1975. In 1976 he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois’s 15th district but lost in a five-way Republican primary to Tom Corcoran. He later served as Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1981 he was elected the first full-time mayor of Morris, serving three terms until losing reelection in 1993. He died in Morris on August 8, 2007. The airport in Morris is named in his honor.