[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_HR0452 LRB9209403RHrh 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 3 Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to 4 the family and friends of former Illinois Congressman Frank 5 Annunzio, who passed away on April 8, 2001; and 6 WHEREAS, Congressman Frank Annunzio was a consumer 7 advocate and champion of working people who represented 8 Chicago in the United States House of Representatives from 9 1965 until 1993; and 10 WHEREAS, Congressman Frank Annunzio was born on January 11 12, 1915 on the west side of Chicago; a protege of social 12 reformer Jane Addams, he grew up in the Hull House 13 neighborhood and worked as an apprentice in a polishing and 14 planting shop; he graduated from Crane Technical High School, 15 and earned his bachelors and master's degrees from DePaul 16 University; and 17 WHEREAS, Congressman Frank Annunzio served as a history 18 teacher in the Chicago public schools system for ten years; 19 in addition, he was the assistant supervisor of the National 20 Defense Program at Austin High School from 1942 to 1943, the 21 educational representative of the United Steelworkers of 22 America from 1943 until 1948, the chairman of the War Ration 23 Board 40-20 from 1943 to 1945, a member of the Advisory 24 Committee to Illinois Industrial Commission on Health and 25 Safety from 1944 to 1949, and a member of the Advisory 26 Committee on Unemployment Compensation from 1944 to 1949; and 27 WHEREAS, In 1949, Congressman Frank Annunzio became the 28 director of labor in Governor Adlai E. Stevenson's cabinet, 29 where he became close friends with the revenue director, 30 Richard J. Daley, who as Mayor of Chicago, selected Mr. 31 Annunzio for the United States House of Representatives in 32 1964 to represent a district that included the Loop and much -2- LRB9209403RHrh 1 of the West Side; and 2 WHEREAS, Congressman Annunzio served in many capacities 3 during his tenure in Congress; he was the chairman of the 4 Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, where he 5 fought for the "average Americans" during a 1990 savings and 6 loan bailout legislation that proved costly to taxpayers; in 7 addition, he served as chairman of the House Administration 8 Committee from 1984 to 1990, the Joint Committee on the 9 Library, and as chairman of the subcommittee on Consumer 10 Affairs and Coinage, where he oversaw the minting of coins, 11 including those honoring presidents and major historical 12 events; and 13 WHEREAS, Congressman Annunzio fought abuses by 14 debt-collection agencies and sponsored legislation that 15 prohibited discrimination by financial institutions on the 16 basis of age, gender, and race; as the subcommittee chairman 17 of the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee in 18 1989, he urged credit card holders to cut up or burn their 19 cards in an effort to try to force down interest rates; and 20 WHEREAS, Congressman Annunzio was a strident defender of 21 the Italian-American heritage and its depiction in television 22 and movies; he was instrumental in making Columbus Day a 23 national holiday; and 24 WHEREAS, The passing of Congressman Frank Annunzio will 25 be deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his 26 daughters Linda and Susan; his grandchildren; his 27 great-grandchildren; and his many friends and colleagues from 28 the United State Congress and State government; therefore, be 29 it 30 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 31 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 32 we mourn, along with all who knew him, the death of former -3- LRB9209403RHrh 1 Illinois Congressman Frank Annunzio; and be it further 2 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 3 presented to the family of Congressman Frank Annunzio with 4 our sincere condolences.