William Clark Shannon, who held public office in Williamson County for more than a quarter of a century, including those of Marion Mayor, City Magistrate, County Sheriff and County Treasurer, was born in Cannon City, Colorado to Abraham and Mary Shannon on March 13, 1888.
William’s father, Abraham was a full blooded Irish coal miner who was born in Northern Ireland in 1861 and immigrated in 1876, at the age of 15 to America to work the mines. He became a citizen in 1884. William’s mother, Mary, was full blooded English, but was naturalized by the process of her parents becoming citizens.
Looking at the 1910 census makes it clear that William’s father had followed the mines. In this census, the family was living in a rental house in Staunton, Illinois. Abraham, 48, and son, William, 22, were both working the coal mines as loaders.
After William was born in Colorado in 1888, the family four years later were living in Montana where William’s sister, Elizabeth, a school teacher, was born in 1891. By 1899, the family had moved to Illinois, where their youngest son Abraham, age 11, was born. The three children present in this census did not reflect one child who had already moved on in life and one who had died.
In 1917, when William registered for WWI, he was physically described as tall, medium build, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He listed his employer as Consolidated Coal Mine 14 at Staunton.
In the 1920 census, the parental family, now in their mid to late 50’s were still working the mines in Staunton, Illinois, along with the only child left in the home, William, who was then age 30. They were renting a home at 203 Prairie Street and living next door to the family of Sam Shannon, age 30, and his family of five. Sam was born in Ireland, working in the same mine and was undoubtedly related.
In 1922, William was married to Margaret Elizabeth Frew in Staunton. He was a Macoupin County Supervisor and a coal mine foreman for Consolidated Coal.
In 1925, Shannon and his wife came to Williamson County from Staunton where they lived in Johnston City from 1925 to 1929. While living in Johnston City, their first daughter, Margaret Shannon, was born in 1927 and their second daughter, Mary L. Shannon, was born in 1928.
In 1929, they moved to Clifford in Blairsville Township where William worked as a mine manager. The 1930 census captures this time. William was age 42, Elizabeth was 35 and they were renting a home for $10 a month. Their children present were, Margaret, 3 years, 11 months and Mary, aged 2 years and 2 months.
By 1935, the Shannon’s had moved to Marion and purchased a home at 605 S. Market Street where William served as Justice of the Peace. From 1935 to 1937 he was a county mine inspector and then was nominated as the Republican candidate for Williamson County Treasurer in 1938, which he won. He served as County Treasurer from 1938 to 1942.
In the 1940 census, the family was living in their S. Market home with their two daughters. They owned the home and placed a value of $3,500 on it. His occupation was listed as county treasurer. In 1939, he reported an income of $2,400.
When William registered for the WWII draft on the public square in 1942 at the age of 54, he was described as 6 feet tall, 185 lbs., with grey eyes and black hair with a light complexion.
From 1942 to 1946, he served as Williamson County Sheriff, between the terms of Arleigh Wilkins and Lawrence Cannon.
After his term as County Sheriff in 1946, he was re-elected County Treasurer and served until 1950. From 1949 to 1950 he also served as the treasurer for the Marion Lion’s Club.
From 1951 to 1955, William Shannon served as the Mayor of Marion. In 1951, Marion had eight taverns in town and the Ministerial Alliance was clamoring for Shannon to exert “tighter influence” over the laws concerning slot machines, taverns and private clubs.
In 1952, while serving as Mayor, Senator Robert Taft, co-creator of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Labor Act, and nominee running against Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 Presidential election came through town stumping for support.
On February 9, 1953, the Federal Housing project in Marion formerly known as Marion Heights was renamed Shannon Heights in honor of Mayor Shannon. The housing project consisting of 200 housing units was started in 1942 and opened in 1944. Today, we know it better by the area surrounding Midway Court.
In May of 1953 when the Marion Memorial Hospital was dedicated, Mayor Harry Rodd and Mayor William Shannon appointed the first hospital board of directors.
Shannon was replaced in the 1955 election by Robert Cooksey who served under his administration as Streets and Alleys Commissioner.
From 1956 to 1961 he was a Justice of the Peace in Marion
Shannon was elected as police magistrate in the same 1963 election that placed Robert Butler into office as Mayor.
Around 1968, William, at the age of 80, and his wife moved to Lawrenceville where he and his wife became residents of the United Methodist Village retirement community.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Marion. He was a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Lion’s Club and Knights of Pythias.
William died at 9:35 a.m. Thursday, June 5, 1976 at Lawrenceville County Hospital in Lawrenceville, Illinois at the age of 88.
Surviving his death were his wife and two daughters, Mrs. Margaret Lugg of Port Huron, Michigan and Mrs. Mary Griffing of Springfield, Virginia, along with a brother Abraham Shannon of Granite City, a sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Boast and three grandchildren.
Masonic rites were held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Methodist Chapel in Lawrenceville with the Rev. Gerald Gulley officiating. The Nichols Funeral Home at Lawrenceville was in charge of funeral arrangements.
Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Marion.
(Extracted from the Marion Daily Republican June 1976; 1989 Sesquicentennial History of Williamson County; Federal Census Records; WWI Registration Records; WWII Registration Records; Southern Illinoisan, April 1961 and 1963; Illinois Death Records; Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 01/27/2014)