Representative Ben C. Blades  1908 – 1973

Wayne County is currently part of the Illinois District #116 and our state representative is Dave Severin from Benton.

In the 1960s and early 1970s our Representative was the Honorable Ben C. Blades from Fairfield.  Representative Blades died of a heart attack following a meeting of the House appropriations committee, in Springfield in 1973.  He was 64 and had served in the Illinois General Assembly since 1962.  

Ben Blades was born in 1908 on a farm near Merriam in Wayne County where for years his parents, operated a small rural grocery store.  He attended school in the Merriam district and later attended Fairfield High School, graduating in 1926.

He served as a member of the Illinois State Highway Patrol from 1941 to 1949.  From 1953 to 1962 he served under Secretary of state as one of the field agents before running for the position as state representative.    

Representative Blades was Chairman of the Conservation and Water Resources committee. He was known for his ability to get things done. He was a hard worker and politically, he was one of those who believed in teamwork among party members.  

When Representative Blades died suddenly in 1973, Illinois Governor Daniel Walker led a group of dignitaries to Fairfield for the funeral.  The old Cumberland Presbyterian Church was packed with mourners who came from all over Illinois to pay their last respects to the noted state lawmaker.  

Governor Walker gave the eulogy and described Representative Blades as a well-respected man who spoke and voted his convictions…a hard campaigner and a hard worker for the people he served.