Rep. Robert W. Churchill of Lake Villa took a turn on the ballroom floor with his daughter Christine. Churchill is the new majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Gov. Jim Edgar delivered his second inaugural address January 9, when he and the other five constitutional officers took their oaths. The Capitol City filled with Republican revelers who began partying as early as Sunday night.

Photos by Ginny R. Lee

Gov. William G. Stratton served from 1953 to 1961, during the presidency of Dwight David Eisenhower. It was during Stratton's second term that Republicans last controlled all constitutional offices and both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. Stratton attended the inaugural ceremonies with his wife Shirley.

Secretary of State George Ryan took the oath for that office for the second time. He was joined by his wife Lura Lynn. Ryan was speaker of the Illinois House the last time Republicans controlled that chamber.

6/February 1995/Illinois Issues

Lou Rawls told First Lady Brenda Edgar in song that she is the wind beneath Gov. Jim Edgar's wings.

Republican redux

Now the Republicans will have to go to work. But first, they threw themselves a ball. After all, they'd waited a long time.

Since the '50s to be exact.

That's when Gov. William G. Stratton led his own statewide Republican sweep. Stratton, on hand for January's inaugural, could have written the script for the November GOP landslide. He was first elected in 1952, during the campaign that carried the popular Dwight D. Eisenhower into the White House. In turn, Gov. Jim Edgar's ticketmates benefited from the momentum generated by Newt Gingrich and his Contract With America — an effort to reprise shared values from that earlier era: family, frugality, the work ethic.

In Stratton's second term. Republicans captured all statewide offices and both legislative chambers. Until November, he was the last governor to hold that advantage. He was also the governor who first championed legislative redistricting based on population, though the specifics of his plan met resistance from Chicago Democrats who resented the power of downstate and suburban Republicans.

Maybe the Democrats were right. For now, the suburban Republicans control the legislature, the governor is a down-stater and the state GOP is trumpeting what new House Speaker Lee A. Daniels calls the Illinois Agenda, an echo of the national Republican contract.

The history of Edgar's leadership has yet to be written. But it's worth remembering that midway through his second term, Stratton broke fiscal stride and increased state taxes to fund education We'll have to wait to see what Edgar and this General Assembly will do.

Democrats, meanwhile, will do wha they can to turn history their way, thougl they acknowledged Republicans hac earned this moment. Michael J. Madigan the deposed House speaker from Chicago, conceded power with a terse "Mr. Daniels has waited long enough." When Daniels took the podium for the first time, he wore a blue and white "Ike" button on his lapel and repeated the words the general used to launch the D-Day invasion: "Ok, let's go."

The party's over.