Former 54th District state Sen. William “Bill” O’Daniel died Wednesday at Fairfield Memorial Hospital. He was 93.
O’Daniel served as a member of the Illinois House from 1974-77 and in the Illinois Senate from 1984 until 2002. He was a longtime farmer and businessman, and was a decorated World War II veteran, serving as a U.S. Army Paratrooper in the Pacific Theater.
In 1977, O’Daniel was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as state executive director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Services will be Saturday at the Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon.
