Tom Roeser

Thomas F. Roeser
Thomas F. Roeser
Born	23 July 1928 (age 98); Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Died	29 May 2011 (aged 82)
Occupation(s)	Conservative commentator, broadcaster, educator, lecturer, corporate executive
Years active	1953–2011
Known for	WLS 890 AM talk radio, The Chicago Daily Observer editorial board

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Tom Roeser, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Thomas F. Roeser (July 23, 1928 – May 29, 2011) was a conservative commentator and broadcaster based in Chicago, widely recognized for his extensive career on WLS 890 AM talk radio. He established and led the editorial board of the online Chicago publication The Chicago Daily Observer. In addition to his media work, Roeser held roles as an educator and lecturer, and served as vice president at the Quaker Oats Company.

Early life and education

Roeser was born in Evanston, Illinois, and completed his early education at Saint Juliana elementary school followed by William Howard Taft High School in Chicago. He obtained a bachelor's degree in English literature from Saint John's University in Minnesota. Furthering his academic pursuits, he undertook graduate coursework in English and political science at DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and Harvard University. His academic accolades include being named a John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard and receiving a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship.

Professional career

Launching his professional journey in 1953, Roeser worked as city editor for the Saint Cloud Daily Times and contributed as an Associated Press stringer. Between 1955 and 1958, he oversaw research and news-information operations for the Minnesota Republican Party, handling media strategies and advertising efforts. Subsequently, he served as press secretary to Minnesota Republican congressmen Albert H. Quie and Walter H. Judd.

In 1960, Governor Elmer L. Andersen appointed Roeser as news secretary for Minnesota's state government. Afterward, he returned to the Minnesota GOP as Director of Communications from 1963 to 1964. He then relocated to Chicago to develop public affairs, government relations, and community engagement programs for The Quaker Oats Company, initiating the company’s government relations and urban affairs activities across its Chicago facilities.

In 1969, Roeser joined the Nixon administration as assistant to the Secretary of Commerce, where he helped establish the inaugural federal initiative supporting minority-owned businesses—the foundation for what became the Minority Business Development Agency. Following his advocacy for the program’s termination due to insufficient backing, he transitioned to serve as director of public affairs and Congressional relations at the Peace Corps, overseeing worldwide communications until Quaker Oats recalled him in 1971 to assume the role of vice president of government relations.

Roeser was notably the first corporate lobbyist appointed as a Fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics, where he also instructed students during his leave from Quaker Oats. He was subsequently honored as a Woodrow Wilson International Fellow. Returning full-time to Quaker Oats, he engaged in teaching roles at Wharton School, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Saint John's College at Oxford. Simultaneously, he contributed opinion pieces to prominent publications including The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal.

Political work

Deeply involved in Chicago’s civic and political landscape, Roeser co-established Project LEAP (Legal Elections in All Precincts), an organization dedicated to combating election fraud. He led the City Club of Chicago as both president and chairman for seventeen years. As founder and chair of the Republican Assembly of Illinois—a grassroots conservative group—he played a significant role in local politics. Additionally, he co-founded Catholic Citizens of Illinois and was affiliated with the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. His board memberships included the Howard Center in Rockford; he also served as program chairman for Legatus (Chicago), a network connecting Catholic CEOs, and held the position of vice chairman at Haymarket Center, a prominent substance abuse rehabilitation facility.

Broadcasting career

In 1994, Roeser began hosting a talk program on Chicago's WLS-AM, initially serving as a substitute alongside Ty Wansley. Following Ed Vrdolyak's exit and a brief period during which Illinois Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra was considered as Vrdolyak’s replacement, Roeser returned to co-host with Wansley. He concluded his broadcasting career on May 21, 2011. During his tenure, he was a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

Writing

Roeser penned Father Mac: The Life and Times of Ignatius D. McDermott, chronicling the life of the Haymarket Center co-founder in Chicago. His opinion pieces were published in prominent outlets such as the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal. Serving as Chicago correspondent for The Wanderer, recognized as the oldest Catholic weekly in the United States, he also maintained a personal blog. In addition to hosting his own WLS-AM talk show "Political Shootout," Roeser provided analysis for PBS’s The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, the BBC, WTTW-TV’s Chicago Tonight, WBEZ public radio’s Inside Politics, and occasionally featured on Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont.

Teaching

Roeser held adjunct professorships in public policy at several institutions, including the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, University of Illinois-Chicago, Roosevelt University, and Saint John's College at Oxford University.

Personal

Married to Lillian Prescott from Chicago since 1959 until his passing, Roeser was father to four children: sons Thomas F., Jr. and Michael J., and daughters Mary Catherine Magnor and Jeanne Roeser. The family included thirteen grandchildren. In 1988, both he and his wife were honored as Knight and Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Roman Catholic philanthropic order.

Death

Roeser passed away on May 29, 2011, following a short illness. According to fellow talk-show host Dan Proft, congestive heart failure was the cause. In March 2013, he received posthumous induction into the William Howard Taft High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame in Chicago.

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