Samuel Insull Jr., 82; Son of Utility Magnate

Samuel Insull Jr., an insurance executive and son of the one-time billionaire utility magnate, is dead at the age of 82.

Mr. Insull, a resident of the Chicago suburb of Geneva, died Saturday in a nursing home.

The Insull fortune, amassed by Samuel Insull Sr., collapsed in the Depression. At its zenith, the younger Mr. Insull estimated his personal worth at $13.6 million. He was a director and vice chairman of dozens of the companies his father controlled.

The $3 billion Insull empire included Chicago's elevated rail system, gas companies, what became Commonwealth Edison and more than 140 other companies. At one point in the 1920's, the elder Mr.Insull's companies produced one-tenth of all the electricity in the country. Thousands of investors lost money when the businesses failed.

Mr. Insull and his father were charged with mail fraud and violation of bankruptcy laws after their empire collapsed, but they were acquitted.

The younger Mr. Insull served in the Navy in World War II. Later he became an insurance salesman, founding the Insull Insurance Agency in 1949. He maintained an office until last year.

In 1958 Mr. Insull sued three writers and their publishers for libel over their descriptions of the family's dealings. The case was dismissed because the publishers did not do business in Illinois.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret, and a son, Samuel 3d.