According to Governor Gamm, the Forgotonia Government was made up of himself, a press secretary, and anyone else who was willing to help at the time. Such public participation led to a man named James Welch, in the free spirited manner of the movement, appointing himself attorney general. Gamm’s letter (right) showcases both the satirical nature of the movement and his willingness to accept help wherever he could find it. Gamm’s government was also replete with unstaffed bureaucracies such as a Department of Mental Health and a Department of Injustice, to symbolize the total lack of any real government action in the region.
Gamm’s government was primarily funded by $1 donations, which supporters mailed to the capitol building in Fandon, IL (which was previously an abandoned shed before being taken over by the Gamm administration). Helping to keep low the costs of running a government, Forgotonia had a volunteer militia whose members said they would bring their own muzzleloaders and ammunition if ever needed. Similarly, one individual volunteered his crop-dusting plane to be used whenever it was not needed in the fields, thereby creating the Forgotonian air force.[1] Gamm’s government also published press releases and sold bumper stickers reading “Forgotonians Unite!” for $1, which was another effective way of displaying public support.
Though not officially a part of the government, Gamm did try to build a coalition of county officials from all of the Forgotonia counties. While the group did not meet outside of the Summit at the Holiday in, many of the counties signed a document proclaiming to be a part of the new state of Forgotonia. After listing all of region’s grievances, the document states the signing county board, “formally requests consent from the General Assembly of the State of Illinois and the Congress of the United States of America to join with the aforementioned counties and form a new state to be called “FORGOTONIA”, in the region described herein.”[2] Though this is a step or two short of secession from the Union, it was a message to both the Illinois Government and the Federal Government that the people of western Illinois wished to be governed by those they felt actually represented their values, rather than the faceless bureaucrats of Chicago, Springfield, or Washington.
[1] Letters to Gamm from Forgotonian citizens, Western Illinois University Archive, “Neal Gamm Collection.”
[2] Petition Requesting Consent to Form a New State, Western Illinois University Archive, “Neal Gamm Collection.”