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90_SR0089
LRB9005857CBcb
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate were deeply saddened
3 to learn of the death of John Henry Herman Sengstacke, owner
4 and publisher of the Chicago Defender and advocate of
5 African-Americans, on Wednesday, May 28, 1997; and
6 WHEREAS, He was born in Savannah, Georgia, on November
7 25, 1912; he graduated from Brick Junior College and from the
8 Hampton Institute; he spent most of his life in the newspaper
9 business; as a child, he began working, soliciting ads and
10 doing layout and makeup on the Woodville Times, the paper
11 founded by his grandfather, John H. H. Sengstacke, and later
12 published by his father, Alexander Sengstacke; and
13 WHEREAS, After graduation, he joined the staff of the
14 Chicago Defender, which was founded by his uncle, Robert
15 Abbott, and, in 1934, he became publisher of the Defender;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, Mr. Sengstacke inherited the Chicago Defender in
18 1940 and, in 1956, he converted the Defender from a weekly to
19 a daily newspaper; it continues as the nation's largest
20 African-American owned daily; and
21 WHEREAS, Mr. Sengstacke was the founder of the Negro
22 Newspaper Publishers Association, known today as the National
23 Newspaper Publishers Association, and was also one of the
24 founders of the Amalgamated Publishers, Inc.; and
25 WHEREAS, During his years at the helm of the Defender,
26 John Sengstacke became a major force in the fight for the
27 rights of African Americans and all underprivileged citizens
28 and used the newspaper to improve the quality of life for all
29 people; and
30 WHEREAS, He was instrumental in getting the first
31 African-American correspondent into the White House and was
-2- LRB9005857CBcb
1 involved in the signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn
2 Dodgers; during World War II, he served as president of the
3 Chicago rationing board and adviser to the U.S. Office of War
4 Information; and
5 WHEREAS, After the war, President Truman appointed John
6 Sengstacke to the committee desegregating the military; he
7 served as an adviser to Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and
8 Johnson; and
9 WHEREAS, Mr. Sengstacke was decorated by the governments
10 of Liberia and Haiti for his achievements and his dedications
11 to protecting the rights of humanity; and
12 WHEREAS, Mr. Sengstacke leaves a legacy of community
13 involvement and civic concern that will long inspire the
14 citizens of this State and the nation; as Chairman of the
15 Board of Provident Hospital & Training School Association, he
16 was instrumental in the building of the new Provident Medical
17 Center; he has served on numerous boards, including the
18 Advisory Board of the Boy Scouts of America; and
19 WHEREAS, His passing is a grievous loss to his family and
20 community; he will be deeply missed by his son, Robert; his
21 brother, Frederick; his sisters, Flaurience Collins and Ethel
22 Sengstacke; and six grandchildren; therefore, be it
23 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
24 OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we note with sorrow and regret
25 the death of a great humanitarian, John H. H. Sengstacke, and
26 extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends; and
27 be it further
28 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to the family of John H. H. Sengstacke as an
30 expression of our sympathy.