HR0822 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0822 LRB102 27193 MST 38779 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Harold Lee Washington, a native son of Chicago, was born on April 15, 1922; he was a product of Chicago Public Schools, having attended Forestville Elementary and DuSable High Schools; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington served in the United States Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1946; he served in the Pacific Theater during World War II; and

WHEREAS, In 1949, Harold Washington received his bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University, where he served as president of the Student Council and joined the Upsilon Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; he was a highly respected student leader; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington served as the secretary of the Third Ward Regular Democratic Organization for Alderman Ralph Metcalfe and helped to organize the Third Ward Young Democrats, which became one of the leading Young Democratic organizations in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington received his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University Law School in 1952 and was admitted to the bar in 1953; he later served as an assistant city prosecutor in Chicago from 1954 to 1958 and as an arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission from 1960 to 1964; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1965, where he served with distinction until he was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1977; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure in the General Assembly, Harold Washington was the first legislator in the nation to organize a Black Legislative Caucus and to successfully pass a bill commemorating a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and

WHEREAS, In 1980, Harold Washington was elected to the United States Congress; during his time in Congress, he served on three House Committees, an unprecedented number for a freshman congressman; he also led the effort to secure a 10-year extension of the Voting Rights Act; and

WHEREAS, In 1983, Harold Washington was drafted by his community to run for the office of mayor of the City of Chicago; his campaign will be especially remembered for his use of an extensive vocabulary and his victory with a diverse coalition of support; and

WHEREAS, As mayor, Harold Washington accomplished many positive things, including reducing the widespread practice of political patronage, establishing a functioning affirmative action program for minority businesses, and creating a women's affairs commission, a viable sister cities program, and several other initiatives, which improved all sections of the Chicago community; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington was truly "the People's Mayor"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the life of Harold Washington, African American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st Mayor of Chicago, at the time of what would have been his 100th birthday and honor this great man and his many political and personal accomplishments.