Bernard Epton
| Bernard Epton | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 2nd district |
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In office August 30, 1969 – January 18, 1983 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bernard Edward Epton August 25, 1921 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 13, 1987 (aged 66) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Corps, later (United States Army Air Forces) |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Battles/wars | |
Bernard Edward Epton (August 25, 1921 – December 13, 1987) was an American politician who served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983, when he lost a close and contentious election for mayor of Chicago. He would have become the city's first Jewish mayor (an accomplishment that eventually was claimed by Rahm Emanuel when he was elected in 2011) and its first Republican mayor since William "Big Bill" Thompson was defeated in 1931. Epton died of a heart attack on December 13, 1987 at age 66.
Epton served in World War II in the U.S. Army Air Force, for which he flew twenty-five missions over Germany and twice earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the postwar years, Epton became a successful attorney with a speciality in insurance law. A graduate of the University of Chicago and DePaul University College of Law, he was an unsuccessful liberal Republican candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois' 2nd congressional district in 1960. With John F. Kennedy narrowly winning Illinois that year, Epton lost to the Democratic incumbent, Barratt O'Hara. Known for being witty and occasionally sharp-tongued, Epton was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1969 and served until 1983. He chaired the chamber's Insurance Committee.
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