Former Kane County Circuit Clerk and GOP Chairman Tom Hartwell Commits Suicide after Indictment

I met Tom Hartwell when he volunteered to help in my late 1990’s State Representative campaigns.

In those days, he was Running God’s Gym.

Now, I hope he is playing in the real thing.

Tom’s friend Jeff Ward wrote the following on his “The First Ward” publication and has given me permission to reprint it:

A truly sad ending for a good man

Jeff Ward

It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I have to announce Sheriff Ron Hain just confirmed that former Kane County Circuit Clerk and Republican Chairman Tom Hartwell took his own life.

It’s a truly sad ending for a man who had an immeasurably positive impact on the people around him.

Tom started a gym to divert gang members.

He helped innumerable indigent clients who came to him for legal help. He coached all manner of sports including a state championship baseball team.

He was beyond generous with his time and money whenever it came to his church.

I’ve never seen any elected official receive the kind of heartfelt constituent testimonials that Tom Hartwell regularly received.

Tom Hartwell marched with Allen Skillicorn in the 2015 Independence Day Parade.

Yes! Tom made what’s become a very public mistake we briefly covered here at The First Ward. But like so many of his friends,

I truly thought he would face those consequences and come out of it an even better man than he was before.

I understand the depression that comes along with the subject of a major investigation, but I desperately wish that Tom had made a different decision.

He was there for so many people that I wish he understood that it was our turn to be there for him.

Tom hasn’t taken my calls since his election loss, but I wish I could’ve told him that suicide is never the answer.

I’m devastated, so I can only imagine the pain his large extended family is feeling at this incredibly difficult time.

I did not ask the Sheriff for any details because I really don’t want any of the details. The local papers will cover that soon enough.

I’m not pointing the finger at anyone, but there’s a good reason I’ve encouraged law enforcement to never forget that every defendant is a human being worthy of respect and a reasonable amount of empathy.

Tom Hartwell, you will be missed.

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Former Kane County Circuit Clerk Thomas Hartwell was indicted last month on felony charges of misusing public money and receiving kickbacks.

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Hartwell served as Kane County circuit court clerk for two terms until losing his reelection bid for a 3rd term in 2020.

Hartwell was the Kane County Republican Party chairman from 2012 until his resignation in late 2017 when he decided to run for an open countywide Circuit Judge position against former state Senator Michael Noland (D, Elgin) after winning a brutal Republican primary over an associate judge.

Additionally, Hartwell served on the Kane County Board in the 1990s


Comments

Former Kane County Circuit Clerk and GOP Chairman Tom Hartwell Commits Suicide after Indictment — 20 Comments

  1. Reminds me of the Fox Lake cop Galinowitz that did the same thing but managed to waste millions of tax dollars looking for 3 non existent murderers.

  2. Tom was a good man and was convicted of nothing at the time of his death.

    An indictment is not a conviction.

    I’m sure there was more to the story of why he took his own life.

    Rest In Peace and may the Lord Jesus Christ Bless you Tom!

  3. A good man?

    One count of theft by deception greater than $100,000, seven counts of official misconduct, six counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, three counts of income tax fraud and one count of misapplying funds as a government employee.

    I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding.

  4. No Joseph, it’s just the conservative morons backing one of there own. Look how they worship Trump. They believe there is integrity in indictments. Look how they fall all over themselves for Trumpty Dumpty.

  5. RIP Mr. Tom.

    Now off to Stephen and Joseph’s, to spray paint giant pink penis’s into their lawns.

  6. You guys just love mentioning penises.
    My guess, you’re jealous of those that have one.

  7. If you are too fat to look down and see you penis, do you really have one?

  8. Once again, my feelings are hurt by the anger and hurled cabbages of the hobo mob.

  9. Luckily, I always carry a stage beard, Tophat and cane to disquise myself, in the event of checks being rejected for insufficient funds and meathead disapproval.

  10. So a good man is defined by apparantly being greedy and ultimately a coward. Got it.

  11. We too are shocked and saddened byTom Hartwell`s death.

    Let the man without sin cat the first stone about his faults, id rather tell you about the kindness he had shown me and my family.

    Tom had helped me file papers once, he was extremely proud of his son and always seemed to have a smile on his face, whenever i ran across him at republican events.

    He was always there to help others, attending coffees or parades.

    We are so sad and will continue to pray for his soul. `

    One man’s life touches so many others, when he’s not there it leaves an awfully big hole.` ~ Clearance

  12. This is indeed a sad sad story. Maybe more will come out in the near future as to why he took his life.

    Praying for his family.

  13. Thomas Hartwell operated with a mindset of compliance.

    The narrative doesn’t add up to this political legal citizen, while current public servants accept multi million dollar “grants”(bribes) to alter the rules for voting and to outsource control to far left extremist groups.

    The narrative doesn’t add up, but the final judgement is in God’s hands.

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