Robert I. Sherman (April 2, 1953[1] – December 9, 2016) was an American political activist, perennial candidate, and businessman. He was known for his role as an IllinoisGreen Party candidate and for his atheist advocacy. He died in a plane crash outside Marengo, Illinois on December 9, 2016, at the age of 63.
In 1981, Sherman listened to a radio speech by Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an activist and founder of American Atheists.[4] The speech motivated him to join the organization, and he eventually became its Illinois director and national spokesman.[4] He first achieved notoriety on April 1, 1986, when he sued the village of Zion, Illinois for displaying a Christian cross on a water tower, as well as other property.[4][5] The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992, which ruled in Sherman's favor and ordered municipalities to drop the use of religious symbols.[2] His success earned him front-page news coverage and invites to appear on national TV shows, including those of Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue and Larry King.[4][5]
Sherman frequently received attention in the 1980s and 1990s due to his atheism activism.[3] He filed lawsuits against numerous American municipalities, against the Boy Scouts of America in 1997, and against Township High School District 214 in 2007 for what he considered unconstitutional endorsements of religion.[2][3] He was involved in numerous other lawsuits, of which at least one other went to the Supreme Court in the late 2000s.[6] Reporter Richard Roeper said in 1998 that "he has battled towns from South Holland to Deerfield to Zion to Palatine to Highland, Ind., and Wauwatosa, Wis., over public displays of religious symbols on water towers, on government property and on official village seals."[3] After 10 years of membership in American Atheists, he formed his own organization, Rob Sherman Advocacy.[4]
On June 4, 1998, Sherman was arrested and charged with domestic battery for beating his 16-year-old son with his hands and fists.[5][12] Police also confiscated Sherman's rifle and semiautomatic handgun. The following month, Sherman was convicted of domestic battery in Cook County Court.[3] The next year, he spent 120 days in jail for failing to follow orders to complete domestic violence counseling.[5][9]
