Former Illinois Auditor General passes away

(WAND) - Former Illinois Auditor General William G. Holland passed away August 10 at the age of 72.

Holland was born in Joliet, Illinois, on November 22, 1951, to Edward James Holland and Jane Murdock Holland. Raised in Prairie Village, Kansas, he was the fifth of six children.

In 1970, he moved to Seattle to attend Seattle University, graduating in 1974 with a degree in Public Affairs.

Holland worked in public service to the state of Illinois for 41 years. Early in his career, he served as director of the Illinois House Majority Appropriations Committee Staff and the first director of the Illinois General Assembly’s Washington D.C. Office. In 1983, he was appointed chief of staff for Illinois Senate President, Phillip J. Rock, a position he held for nearly ten years.

In 1992 Bill was appointed Illinois Auditor General by the 87th Illinois General Assembly. He was the state’s longest-serving auditor general.

He was a member of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, serving as its President and ultimately being inducted into the NASACT Hall of Fame in 2022. He retired from public service in 2015.

He had three children and seven grandchildren.

After his diagnosis of colon cancer, Holland moved to Seattle to be near his children and grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Edward James Holland and Jane Murdock Holland. He is survived by his siblings, Edward James Holland, Jr. (Bridget), James Holland (Julie), Mary Schmidt (Chuck), Jack Holland (Karen), and Jan Stacy (Jim); his children, Meghan Squires (Greg), Tom Holland (Catherine), and Jack Holland; and grandchildren, Madeleine, Maggie, Lydia, Johnny Holland and Charlotte, Rudy and Peter Squires.

His children, Meghan, Tom and Jack, will host a Memorial Party in Springfield in the fall.

Memorial contributions may be made to the PJR Center and School Foundation.