Anthony "Tony" J. Leone, Jr.

Anthony “Tony” J. Leone, Jr., a patron of public service, local historic preservation, the arts, and tourism, died early in the morning of February 3, 2021, at Memorial Medical Center, comforted by his longtime life partner, Catherine Cragoe. He was 70 years old.

Tony was known and admired by many in his hometown of Springfield for the strong friendships he built over the years with leading figures in politics, government, business, historic preservation, the arts, tourism, and entertainment. Wherever he went in Springfield, Tony was welcomed by a legion of friends.

He capped a long career in public service with distinction as the chief clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives between 1981 and 1983. He was elected by the chamber’s members to that post following the election of his good friend and mentor, George H. Ryan, Sr., as Speaker of the House. Between 1979 and 1980 and again between 1983 and 1992, Tony served as the assistant House clerk.

The lasting legacy of Tony’s life and interests was the lovingly restored, 125-year-old Pasfield House, just west of the State Capitol complex, which he opened in 2002 as a bed and breakfast and a unique event facility. The Pasfield House, filled with art, antiques, rare books, and historical memorabilia, reflected Tony’s many interests and talents and underscored his well-deserved reputation as an expert on Springfield’s early history and a strong proponent of the preservation of the city’s historic sites.

Over the years, Tony placed the Pasfield House in the service of the community. He hosted a continuous stream of dinners, receptions, fundraisers, and events for numerous charitable causes, community award presentations, book signings, and political campaigns. A perennial highlight of Tony’s year was a Mardi Gras celebration, which gave him a chance to show off his delicious expertise with Creole cooking. Some of Tony’s favorite destinations outside of Springfield were New Orleans and Charleston, South Carolina. One of his favorite hobbies was dining with friends, leading the table in old stories, self-deprecating humor, and laughter.

Tony was born in Springfield to Anthony J. Leone Sr. and Evelyn Mussato Leone on September 1, 1950. He graduated from Griffin High School and earned his associate degree from Springfield College and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois—Springfield with a degree in Economics.

His life-long interest in politics and government was sparked during his first job out of college as the chief clerk of the Sangamon County Election Office. He also held various positions at the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Springfield Election Commission. In his only campaign for the elective office, in 1978, Tony lost a bid for Sangamon County Clerk as a Republican.

Following his service to the Illinois House, Tony served as director of the office’s Index Department under then Secretary of State Ryan. He led a successful effort to reform and re-write the operational rules of the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act. In addition, during his career, Tony served as chairman of the State Property Tax Appeal Board between 1990 and 1992, and the Sangamon County Board of Review between 1985 and 1990. Between 1995 and 1999, he was the chairman of the City of Springfield Rules and Regulations Review Commission. Tony also served as vice-chairman of the 1992 Springfield Election Commission Advisory Task Force on the Springfield Metropolitan & Exposition Auditorium Authority, the Illinois Secretary of State Ethics Commission, the Illinois State Museum Board, and the Advisory Board of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Tony served in 2003 with Shirley Madigan on a state commission where he helped select the design for the Illinois Commemorative Quarter.

A well-respected figure in Illinois Republican politics for 15 years, Tony was the executive director of the Sangamon County Republican Foundation, for eight years the assistant treasurer of the Illinois Republican State Party, and for 15 years the publisher of a party newspaper, The Republican.

Tony was a nationally recognized innovator in the use of electronic record-keeping and reporting for political campaign financial records and submissions. In 1985, he opened Illinois Campaign Reporting Systems and served as its president until 1999. For many years, he also was the principal of Leone & Associates, a lobbying firm based in Springfield. Tony’s interest in the history of Lincoln involved his attending the 150th anniversary ceremony of the Second Lincoln Presidential Inaugural Address. The event which included several well-known Lincoln scholars was held in the Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol and was sponsored by the Illinois State Society of Washington, DC. Tony was responsible for providing a Harper's Weekly colorized souvenir print drawing of the actual Lincoln 2nd inauguration.

Tony served on the Illinois State Capitol Historic Preservation Advisory Board. He had been working on a video tour of the State Capitol complex highlighting the magnificent architecture of the building. Tony produced a 2010 photographic calendar that captured the beauty of the architectural detail of the Illinois State Capitol. In 2004, he was recognized by the General Assembly for his efforts to bring revitalization to the neighborhood directly west of the Illinois State Capitol complex.

Tony advised the publisher of the Illinois B & B Cookbook of the significance of Lincoln and recent bicentennial year. Professional photographs captured a dessert crepe on a replica of Lincoln’s White House china that was featured on the cover. He also co-authored a book, “Springfield Celebrated Horseshoe Sandwich.” Pasfield House used George Pasfield’s famous Leland Hotel recipe in winning first place in the 2009 horseshoe contest, Springfield’s unique contribution to the Culinary Arts.

Since opening, the Pasfield House Inn has been the subject of many news articles and televised stories; Illinois Stories, a local PBS program series, has been filmed there on several occasions. The Pasfield House Inn and Tony were featured on a national broadcast of the Food Network Channel with celebrity chef, Bobby Flay, and has been a reoccurring holiday program. The Pasfield House was also used as a scenic backdrop for a very popular Japanese television travel program that aired on the Tokyo Broadcast System.

A self-appointed City Goodwill Ambassador, Tony was motivated to work on community activities and historical research. He has clearly made a significant contribution to Springfield tourism, focusing beyond the Pasfield family history and their relationship with Abraham Lincoln to tell the story of Springfield’s early development.

Tony was truly one of a kind and loved by many. He was jovial, full of life, gracious, and thoughtful. We will all miss him dearly. Tony was a wonderful human being. He will be buried on February 12, 2021, which is Lincoln’s birthday—how extraordinary, Tony would be pleased.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Tony is survived by his significant other, Catherine L. “Cathy” Cragoe of Springfield.

Funeral Ceremony and Visitation: 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 11, 2021, at Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, 800 South Grand Avenue West, Springfield with Rev. Dr. Blythe Denham Kieffer officiating. A visitation will follow until 7:00 p.m.

A private family burial will be held at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, 500 E. Madison St., Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62701 or Downtown Springfield, Inc., 3 West Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 15, Springfield, IL 62701.