John Henry Stelle (August 10, 1891 – July 5, 1962) was an American politician who served as the National Commander of The American Legion from 1945 to 1946. He previously served as the 29th Governor of Illinois (1940–41), the 34th lieutenant governor of Illinois (1937–40), and the treasurer of Illinois (1935–37). Early life Born in McLeansboro, Illinois, Stelle attended Western Military Academy, and he earned a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1916. Stelle was a lifelong Democrat who served in World War I in the US Army. He was a delegate to most of the Democratic National Conventions from 1928 to 1960. Stelle's first statewide office was as Treasurer, from 1935–1937. From there, he moved into the spot of lieutenant governor in 1937, keeping that job until Horner's death almost four years later. As Horner's three-month successor, Stelle served the second-shortest period in office in Illinois gubernatorial history. Governor of Illinois (1940-1941) The new governor, upon moving his family into the governor's mansion, placed an order for thirty-five cases of beer, then directed the rooms housing the Lincoln library be redecorated. Many nights during Stelle's ninety-nine-day tenure, the mansion was "lit up like a Christmas tree", as thirty to forty guests were often entertained at one time, a number of them friends from Southern Illinois and Springfield. This extravagance involved no overspending, as the entertainment budget had scarcely been touched during Horner's long illness. As well, Stelle was up early every morning as was his habit, choosing to partake of breakfast in the company of the servants. Firings and replacements were swift and rampant. Men who received the axe were often notified in the middle of the night. Several appointments proved wise, however; one of them, prescient. George Edward Day, a crony of Stelle's, was made state purchasing agent. Day, a paint dealer from Springfield, was able to call into being a particular obsession of the new governor's: the painting of yellow lines on highways to indicate areas of unsafe passing. Day bought vast quantities of yellow paint (from himself), and the traffic safety measure was instituted, making Illinois only the second state to do so (Minnesota was the first). Gov. Stelle had the mansion repainted as well, at a cost of $1,900 (approximately $33,770 in current dollars). As the Christmas season neared, over 400 Stelle friends and supporters, were listed as being on the State