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It wouldn’t be the first, nor the last, time that Springfield gained national attention for serving as the intersection of politics, big money, and alleged corruption. But it would be one of the most notorious instances.
Illinois had already been shocked in October of 1970 by the death of longtime Secretary of State Paul Powell in Rochester, Minnesota, where Powell had gone for treatment of a heart problem. But the real shock came on December 30, 1970, when the executor of Powell’s estate revealed that just days after his death, more than $800,000 in cash had been found in shoeboxes, briefcases, and other containers in Powell’s apartment inside the St. Nicholas Hotel in Springfield.
Then and now, there were conflicting stories about whether the money had really been found there, or had been moved from other locations after Powell’s death. And it remains unclear exactly where Powell’s fortune came from. The best clue may have been in Powell’s own words, when he once said, “There’s only one thing worse than a defeated politician. That’s a defeated and broke politician.”
Learn more about Paul Powell’s secret stash at SangamonLink, the official blog of the Sangamon County Historical Society… and get more Springfield history here each week in the Springfield History Minute.
