advertisement

Robert L. Butler, 1927-2019: Iconic Marion mayor dies Monday at age 92; was Illinois' longest-serving mayor

MARION - Robert L. "Bob" Butler, credited with leading the city of Marion into its greatest prosperity which in turn had an impact on all of southern Illinois, passed away at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the age of 92.

Butler was Marion's mayor for nearly 55 years - an Illinois record - from 1963 to January 2018, when he stepped down in the middle of his 14th term, complaining that his hearing was no longer what it needed to be.

Ironically, Monday would have been the final day of Butler's final day as mayor, had he not retired early. Instead, on what should have been a day of celebration, newly-elected Mayor Mike Absher was quietly sworn into office Monday evening, as elected officials crowded into the Marion Cultural and Civic center to mark the change in city government as they also mourned Butler.

"This clearly has come as quite a shock," Absher said Monday afternoon, as he prepared for the evening's events, "to have our city in mourning with the swearing in of a new council."

Absher said Butler's passing has made him reflect on Butler's "extraordinary" impact on Marion.

"His signature is everywhere," said Absher. "For his family and friends, he leaves behind a gentle reminder of that legacy that we can celebrate even as we are sad and mourn his passing."

Butler won his first mayoral election in 1963, beating out sitting Mayor Robert L. Cooksey. Butler then aggressively pushed to expand the city limits, pulling in residents and businesses - not infrequently against their will - to produce the revenue that first would erase the city's debt, and then be seed money to attract even more businesses and residents.

"We endeavored to annex into the city any business that was in proximity to the corporate limits," Butler told The Marion Republican in December 2017. "The more people we took in, the more city sales tax revenues would be generated and the more state funding we would receive."

He took full advantage of tax increment financing districts, and saw the coming of I-57 as the boon to business it turned out to be - with hotels, restaurants, Rent One Ballpark, the Pavilion, Illinois Star Centre Mall, all of which create sales taxes.

Former congressman Glenn Poshard worked with Butler on myriad legislative projects, including Southern Illinois Airport (now Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois), making Route 13 a four-lane highway to Harrisburg, and the resurfacing of Old Route 13 from the Pepsi plant.

"He was on top of everything," said Poshard. "He was one of the great mayors in the history of this country."

Poshard said he and Butler, a Democrat and a Republican, had no use for party politics when it came to promoting southern Illinois.

"When he said Marion was the 'Hub of the Universe' he meant it," said Poshard. "His legacy will always be there for everyone who serves in political office in southern Illinois to remember."

Butler was the driving force behind the city's west end development and Marion's rebirth following the devastation of the 1982 tornado.

Butler said that once the city was back on firm ground financially, it was just a matter of enhancing an already good product.

"I never dreamed of having a cultural and civic center like we have today or a top-notch recreational facility like the Hub or a gathering place like the Pavilion," he said.

"In the back of my mind, I knew something good could happen here ... as long as we didn't stand in our own way."

Glenn Clarida, Marion's city engineer since 1965, said Butler was a true visionary, "a man with courage who stayed with his convictions.

"He took Marion when it was a sleepy little town of 10,000 and built it into what it is today - the hub of the universe here in southern Illinois - under his leadership."

Butler was born on Jan. 23, 1927 to Homer and Eva Butler, in his family's home at 704 N. Garfield St., in Marion.

His DNA, if nothing else, primed him for a life of leadership. Homer served six years on the Marion City Council, was elected to the local school board and spent 16 years in the state legislature. His grandfather, Henderson Clarida, was the chief of police in Marion and was the Marion mayor from 1923 to 1927.

Butler went through the Marion school system, and was the editor-in-chief of the Marion High School newspaper. He joined the U.S. Army and spent two years in counterintelligence, much of that time in Korea between the wars. He went to law school at U of I and came back to Williamson County, where he was an assistant state's attorney for 10 years from 1953-1963.

Marion Mayor Anthony Rinella, who finished Butler's final term as mayor, struggled on Monday to find the right words.

"We always kind of joked that Bob would outlive us all," Rinella said. "But we knew this was going to happen at some point. It's beyond description the sadness that his passing has bestowed on our city. Nobody can ever take away what that man has meant to Marion."

Rinella worked for Butler both as a firefighter, fire chief and city commissioner.

"I've known Bob and his wife, Louetta, for practically my entire life," he said. "He was a great mentor for me."

Butler is survived by his wife, Louetta, and his daughter, Beth Ann. Services are pending.

Bob and Louetta Butler at a city function. Bob Butler and Louetta Sanders married in 1951. Courtesy of Sam Lattuca, Williamson County Historical Society
Bob Butler as a senior at Marion High School.
Bob Butler, seated, was editor of the Marion High School newspaper. Courtesy of Sam Lattuca, Williamson County Historical Society
Marion Mayor Robert "Bob" Butler signs a city proclamation. On the wall behind him is the portrait painted by Ray Evangelista in 2001. Marion Republican file photo
Mayor Bob Butler shares a laugh with Dorothy Carter on the occasion of her 99th birthday in January 2017, the same month he turned 90. "I've never seen her wear the same hat twice," he said. Marion Republican file photo