January Dates in Wheaton’s History

January

January 2, 1942
Birth in Aurora, IL of Dennis Hastert, former politician and convicted felon who represented Illinois’ 14th congressional district from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007. In 1964, Hastert graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in economics

January 6, 1929
Fire broke out at the Gary Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. It was one of the worst building fires to have occurred in Wheaton. “The fire smoldered for several days”.

January 7, 1948
The original Masonic Temple caught fire in the early morning hours, burning for nearly five hours. The Lodge rebuilt on the site incorporating part of the original building into a new one-story Temple with raised basement, and the appearance of two stories.

January 19, 1811
Birth of Jonathan Blanchard, abolitionist and president of Wheaton College from 1860 to his death in 1882. He was born in Rockingham, Vermont

January 21, 1861
The Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated.

January 23, 1963
Birth of actress Gail Ann O’Grady in Detroit, Michigan. She was raised in Wheaton and graduated from Wheaton North High School in 1981. She rose to fame for her role in NYPD Blues.

January 28, 1991
Death of football great and original Chicago Bears team member Harold (Red) Grange in Lake Wales, Florida. Grange was raised in Wheaton and earned the nickname “The Ice Man” from his job of delivering blocks of ice, an occupation which helped develop his athletic strength and prowess on the football field.

These dates were provided by the City of Wheaton Historic Commission. If you have any comments, corrections or additions to the list, please contact us at: wheatonhistoriccommission@gmail.com. Thank you!