Background
Hodge was born in Anderson, Indiana, and from the age of four was raised in Granite City, Illinois.
Hodge was born in Anderson, Indiana, and from the age of four was raised in Granite City, Illinois.
During his term in office, he embezzled $6.15 million of state funds, mainly by altering and forging checks that were paid on the state"s accountant He and his family owned land and businesses in that area. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served three terms.
He was elected Auditor in 1952.
He was a Republican.
His scheme started shortly after his election, when he forged accounting records and created a false paper trail to convince the Illinois General Assembly that his office was insolvent. The legislature obediently handed his office a $525,000 emergency appropriation, which Hodge kept for himself.
With the funds that he stole from the state, Hodge purchased two private jets, 30 automobiles (including a Lincoln, four Cadillacs and a Rolls-Royce imported from Britain), and multiple properties in Florida and Illinois. Upon indictment, Hodge, who was facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, pleaded guilty to 54 bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery charges and was sentenced to a 12 to 15 year prison term.
He was released in 1970 and went to work at his sister"s hardware store, then as a car salesman and finally as a real estate agent in Granite City until his death at the age of 82 in Edwardsville, Illinois.
The Hodge scandal played a role in the decision by Illinois lawmakers to abolish the office of the State Auditor in the new state constitution of 1970. The office was replaced by the new office of the Comptroller.