LORIMER, William, American capital ist and politician: b. Manchester, England, 27 April 1861. At the age of five he came to the United States with his parents and in 1870 to Chicago. At 10 he became a sign-painter's ap prentice and subsequently obtained employment in packing-houses and with a street railroad company. He received no schooling, but ob tained the rudiments of an education through his own efforts. He entered the real estate business in 1886 and later was member of the firm of Murphy and Lorimer in building and brick manufacturing business. Since 1900 he has been a member of the contracting firm of Lorimer and Gallagher. He was connected with the Chicago water departmeth as super intendent of water-main extensions and later superintendent, in 1887-93. Lorimer was a member of Congress from 1895 to 1909, with the exception of the term 1901-03. On 26 May 1909 Lorimer was elected United States sen ator for the term 1909-15. He resigned from the House of Representatives and took his seat in the Senate on 18 June 1909. The validity of his election was challenged in the Senate, 9 Jan. 1911. By a vole of 46 to 40, on 1 March 1911, the challenge was not sustained. This de
cision was unpopular as corrupt practices were suspected to have secured the election and when Congress reconvened the Senate decided to re open the investigation (1 June 1911). A ma jority ,of the Committee on Privileges and Elections reported that Lorimer's election had hot been brought about by corrupt practices. A bitter quarrel followed in the Senate, which divided into reactionaries and progressives ir respective of old party lines and on 14 July 1912 a resolution was sustained by a vote of 55 to 28, declaring that corrupt methods and practices had been employed in the election; that the election was in consequence invalid; and Lorimer's seat vacant. Almost a direct result of the Lorimer case was the triumph of the movement for the election of United States senators by direct popular vote. From 1910 to 1915 Lorimer was president of the La Salle Street Trust and Savings Bank. This and a number of affiliated concerns failed in 1914, and Lorimer and several others were in dicted for misappropriation of funds.