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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4United States Representative Philip M. "Phil" Crane, who passed
5away at the home of his daughter, Rebekah, on November 8, 2014;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, Rep. Phil Crane was born in Chicago on November 3,
81930; he graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale,
9Michigan in 1952; he served the cause of freedom in the United
10States Army from 1954 until 1956 and earned his Ph.D. from
11Indiana University in 1963; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Rep. Phil Crane taught history at Bradley
13University; while there, he gained national recognition in
14politics as a charismatic and popular public speaker on behalf
15of the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign in 1964; those
16efforts, combined with the release of his 1964 book, "The
17Democrat's Dilemma", elevated him as a leading national figure
18in the fledgling conservative movement and the Republican
19party; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 1969, then-Congressman Donald Rumsfeld was
21appointed by President Richard M. Nixon to head his
22administration's Office of Economic Opportunity, leaving a

 

 

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1vacancy in Congress; Rep. Phil Crane ran for, and won, the
2vacated seat, taking up his duties on November 25, 1969; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Rep. Phil Crane continued to represent Illinois in
4Congress from 1969 until January 2005, a period of time that
5spanned 4 redistricting cycles as his district moved
6northwestward within the suburban Chicago area; during his time
7in Congress, he was well known for his strong belief in and
8adherence to Constitutional government and conservative
9principles; and
 
10    WHEREAS, With America in crisis, the hostages trapped in
11Iran, the then-powerful Soviet Union on the march worldwide,
12and with concern that Ronald Reagan would not run for President
13in 1980, Rep. Phil Crane threw his hat in the ring in 1978 for
14the Republican nomination for President of the United States;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, As Republicans were commencing the process of
17choosing Ronald Reagan as their standard-bearer as the 1980
18presidential nominee, Rep. Phil Crane endorsed his fellow
19Illinois native and flung himself into the task of moving
20America forward, mobilizing political support for President
21Reagan's election and standing up for enactment of the new
22administration's policy goals, particularly in the field of tax
23policy and tax cuts as a leading member of the House Ways and

 

 

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1Means Committee; and
 
2    WHEREAS, As a key congressional lieutenant for the Reagan
3Administration, as a member of the United States House of
4Representatives for more than 35 years, and as a true believer
5in the intersection of electoral politics with political
6principles, Rep. Phil Crane founded, co-founded, or took a
7substantial role in the founding of the Republican Study
8Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and the American
9Conservative Union, groups that serve to this day as extremely
10relevant and effective organizations in the development of
11American policymaking; and
 
12    WHEREAS, During this time, Rep. Phil Crane never
13relinquished his devotion to conservative principles, his
14belief in peace through strength, the maintenance of America's
15traditional values, and his commitment to free enterprise; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Rep. Phil Crane never lost his conviction that one
17of America's greatest strengths was the American family; he
18lived this conviction through the love and affection he
19exhibited toward his late wife, Arlene, and their 8 children,
20Catherine, Susanna, Rebekah, Jennifer, Sarah, George, Carrie,
21and the late Rachel; therefore, be it
 
22    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we mourn the passing of former United States Congressman Philip
3M. "Phil" Crane; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we acknowledge Rep. Phil Crane's more than
535 years of public service as an Illinois representative to the
6United States House of Representatives, his lifelong love of
7the discipline of history, his commitment to Constitutional
8principles, and his love of the traditions and values that have
9made America the shining light of the world; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11presented to Rep. Phil Crane's 7 surviving children, Rebekah
12Crane, Susanna Crane, Sarah Crane, Catherine Hott, Jennifer
13Oliver, Carrie Crane, and George Crane.