Full Text of SR0284 98th General Assembly
SR0284 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of former Illinois Supreme Court Chief | 4 | | Justice Moses Wilkins Harrison II of Caseyville, who passed | 5 | | away on April 25, 2013; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was born on March 30, 1932, in | 7 | | Collinsville to Dr. Clarence and Loretta (nee O'Hara) Harrison; | 8 | | he graduated from Colorado College in 1954 and from Washington | 9 | | University School of Law in 1958; he married Sharon Phillips on | 10 | | December 30, 1961, in Collinsville; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison practiced law for a period of 15 | 12 | | years in East Saint Louis and then later Collinsville; in 1973, | 13 | | while a senior partner at the law firm of Harrison, Rarick, and | 14 | | Cadagin, he was appointed circuit judge by the Illinois Supreme | 15 | | Court, and was elected to that position in 1974; he served 2 | 16 | | terms as chief judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in | 17 | | Edwardsville during his 6 years on the circuit courts; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1979, Justice Harrison was appointed by the | 19 | | Illinois Supreme Court to the Appellate Court, Fifth District, | 20 | | in Mount Vernon; he served 2 terms as chief judge of the Fifth | 21 | | District, Appellate Court; he also served one term as chairman | 22 | | of the Illinois Appellate Court and on numerous Supreme Court |
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| 1 | | committees; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was elected to the Illinois | 3 | | Supreme Court in 1992; he was selected to serve as chief | 4 | | justice for a 3-year term beginning in January 2000; he retired | 5 | | from judicial service in September 2002; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, During his tenure on the Illinois Supreme Court, | 7 | | Justice Harrison was most known and honored for demonstrating a | 8 | | commitment to justice and human welfare, writing-either for the | 9 | | majority or dissent-to defend the poor, the weak, the young, | 10 | | and the elderly against corporate or government policies which | 11 | | went against their interest; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was an intense advocate that | 13 | | lawyers volunteer time and service to represent the poor; last | 14 | | year Illinois attorneys reported giving more than 2.1 million | 15 | | hours in free legal services and contributing an additional $16 | 16 | | million to organizations that provide pro bono service; he was | 17 | | also an advocate of educating citizens about the courts and was | 18 | | the guiding force behind the establishment by the court and | 19 | | Illinois Judges Association of the Illinois Judicial Speakers | 20 | | Bureau; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison belonged to numerous legal | 22 | | organizations including the American Bar Association, the |
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| 1 | | Metropolitan Bar Association of Saint Louis, the Tri-City Bar | 2 | | Association, the Madison County Bar Association, the Justinian | 3 | | Society of Lawyers (the Italian-American Bar Association), and | 4 | | the Illinois Judges Association; he served as president of the | 5 | | Madison County Bar Association and was a member of the board of | 6 | | governors of the Illinois Bar Association; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was the recipient of the | 8 | | Justinian Society of Lawyers Award of Excellence and later, the | 9 | | Moses W. Harrison Award, was created in his honor to be given | 10 | | by the Justinian Society of Lawyers to an outstanding lawyer | 11 | | each year; he was also awarded the Illinois Bar Association | 12 | | Access to Justice Award in 2001, the Washington University | 13 | | School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, the David Lee Hoskins | 14 | | Jr. Humanitarian Award, and the National Association of the | 15 | | Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Humanitarian Award; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was a former warden of Christ | 17 | | Episcopal Church in Collinsville and a member of the vestry; he | 18 | | was a member of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in O'Fallon and | 19 | | served as vice-president and board member of the First Bank of | 20 | | Maryville; he was a board member and secretary of the Maryville | 21 | | Colonial Nursing Home Inc., a member of the board of the | 22 | | Collinsville Lions Club, and a life member of the NAACP; and | 23 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison was preceded in death by his |
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| 1 | | parents and his son, Luke W. Harrison; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Justice Harrison is survived by his wife; his son, | 3 | | Clarence and his wife, Carol, and their daughters, Lauren and | 4 | | Rachel; and his grandchildren, Sarah and Jacob, and their | 5 | | mother, Mary Harrison; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 8 | | Justice Moses Harrison II, and extend our sincere condolences | 9 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 10 | | it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Justice Moses Harrison II as an | 13 | | expression of our deepest sympathy.
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