Four Who Believed in the Illinois Constitution

55th Annual Law Day Edition

CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013

Volume 159, No. 83 Four who believed in the Illinois Constitution

n February, The John Constitution arose from his He co-authored the text on the Marshall Law School years as a practitioner in BY ANN M. L OUSIN 1870 Illinois Constitution that the announced that I would hold Chicago. Ann M. Lousin members of the 1969-1970 consti - the Edward T. and Noble W. During the Great Depression, has been a tutional convention called their Lee Chair in Constitutional he became aware of the deficien - professor at The bible. He served as counsel to the LIaw for the academic year 2013- cies of the 1870 Illinois John Marshall Committee on the Judiciary at 2014. Constitution. He acquired Law School the convention and was the This is a great honor because practical experience with the since 1975. convention’s go-to expert on Edward T. and Noble W. Lee constitution as a member of the Before then, she everything regarding the Illinois was a research were champions of constitutional Illinois House of Representatives assistant at the 1969-1970 Illinois Constitution. law. In an era when law students from 1941 to 1969. Other legisla - constitutional convention and Netsch began her political studied only the U.S. tors often referred their Illinois parliamentarian of the Illinois House career as a volunteer for Adlai Constitution and precious few constitutional questions to him. of Representatives. Her treatise “The Stevenson’s 1948 gubernatorial scholars devoted time to state Perhaps Dean Lee’s greatest Illinois State Constitution: A campaign. Her devotion to constitutions, the Lees used their contribution was his influence on Reference Guide” was published in Illinois government led her to positions as dean of The John his students. Because every December 2009. She can be contacted serve as Gov. Otto Kerner’s Marshall Law School to graduate had to study the Illinois at [email protected]. legislative counsel —and champion the study of the Illinois Constitution, it is not surprising informal deputy governor — in Constitution. that several graduates of John the Illinois Constitution as a the early 1960. She was active in When Edward T. Lee was Marshall were members of the practitioner in Chicago. In 1947, Illinois legislative and constitu - dean, from 1910 to 1943, he recog - sixth Illinois Constitutional he was the first chair of the tional reform efforts while a nized the importance of the Convention in 1969-1970. During Committee on Constitutional professor at Northwestern Illinois Constitution. He allowed my only conversation with Dean Revision of The Chicago Bar University School of Law. his son, Noble, to teach what may Lee about the Illinois Association. This distinguished She played a leading role at have been the only course on the Constitution, I was amazed that group spearheaded attempts to the 1969-1970 constitutional Illinois Constitution in any he could rattle off the names of amend the 1870 Illinois convention, where she stood out Illinois law school. When Noble cases and statutes from years Constitution. as one of the best-informed W. Lee was dean, from 1944 to past. In the 1960s, Witwer helped delegates. After that, she was 1974, he required each student to Witwer became interested in lead the campaign to call a elected to the Illinois Senate. pass a course on the Illinois constitutional convention in 1968. After 18 years as a senator, she Constitution — a course he When the sixth Illinois was elected Illinois comptroller. usually taught himself. These are Constitutional Convention met in In 1994, as the first woman to be During his deanship, John 1969, he was the obvious choice a major party’s candidate for Marshall graduates were practi - four to be the president. As president, governor of Illinois, she cally the only lawyers in Illinois his goal was to draft a modern continued to demonstrate her skilled in interpreting and liti - Illinois lawyers state constitution acceptable to passionate commitment to the gating the Illinois Constitution. the people of Illinois. His dream people of Illinois. She continued Today I pay tribute to Noble upon whose came true in 1970. her battle to provide Illinoisans W. Lee and three other lawyers Cohn drafted bills for the with the best government who were among the few shoulders anyone General Assembly and practiced possible right up to the end. On members of the bar who appreci - law in Chicago before becoming a March 5, 2013, her “warfare” was ated the importance of the who seeks to professor at the University of accomplished. Illinois Constitution. Sadly, they Illinois College of Law. Those These are four Illinois lawyers cannot read this column, but improve Illinois experiences, along with his upon whose shoulders anyone their influence on Illinois consti - longtime service as counsel for who seeks to improve Illinois law, tutional law and practice has law, Illinois the Illinois Pension Laws Illinois government and the been incalculable. government and Commission and a member of Illinois Constitution must stand. The four are Noble Wishard The National Conference of On behalf of all Illinoisans, I say Lee (1896-1978), Samuel Weiler the Illinois Commissioners on Uniform to Noble, Sam, Rube and Dawn: Witwer (1908-1998), Rubin State Laws, made him an expert Thank you for your devotion Goodman Cohn (1911-1986) and Constitution on the Illinois Constitution, to Illinois and your efforts to Dawn Clark Netsch (1926-2013). Illinois government and its make Illinois a better place to Lee’s interest in the Illinois must stand.” statutes. live.