African American Legislators In

VOLUME 19, NO. 3 FEBRUARY 2006 Special Edition for Black History Month AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATORS IN ILLINOIS, 1876-2005 About This Issue February is Black History Month, which is commemorated in many ways by many groups throughout Illinois, the United States, and in other countries. This issue of First Reading is dedicated to the African Americans who have served, or Cecil Partee are serving, as legislators in the Illinois General Assembly. Three prominent African American legislators are featured: Cecil Partee, the first African American President of the Senate; former senator and Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and Senator Emil Jones, Jr., current Senate President and the most senior African American legislator currently serving. For Senators Washington and Jones we present a brief biographical sketch. For Senator Partee we are able to present, in his own words, his recollection of impor tant events and legislative issues in his career. These excerpts cover issues of fair housing, civil rights, educational opportunity, and more, and are taken from his oral history from interviews conducted in the fall of 1979 and the spring of 1981. They have been edited slightly for clarity and flow. Unfortunately, the subjects Harold Washington of the Illinois General Assembly Oral History Program contained only one female (but not African American) legislator, so that perspective is lacking. African American Legislators John W. E. Thomas of Chicago, the first African American Illinois legislator, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1876. Since then, 129 African Ameri can legislators have served in the General Assembly: 29 senators (14 of whom also served in the House) and 114 representatives. Of the 129, 95 were Demo crats, 32 were Republicans, and 2 were first elected as Independents. The first African American elected to the Senate was Adelbert H. Roberts in 1924. In 1927 he became the first African American to chair a committee—the Commit Emil Jones, Jr. tee on Criminal Procedure. The first African American woman legislator, Floy Clements, was elected to the House in 1958. Inside this Issue Cecil Partee Biography & Oral Cecil A. Partee has the distinction of being the first African American President History .............................................. 2 Pro Tempore of the Senate (1971), Minority Leader (1973), and President of the Senate (1975). Corneal A. Davis was the first Assistant Minority Leader (1971) Harold Washington Biography ............ 4 and Assistant Majority Leader (1975). Emil Jones, Jr. Biography .................... 5 Special Leadership Opportunity Fred J. Smith and Corneal A. Davis each spent 36 years in the General Assembly. for Legislators ................................ 22 Smith spent 12 years in the House and 24 years in the Senate; Davis’s entire ca Abstracts of Reports Required to be reer was in the House. (continued on p. 6) Filed With General Assembly ....... 23 ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH UNIT Cecil Partee Biography and Oral History Cecil A. Partee was born April 10, ly went across the river to Saint Louis 1921, in Blytheville, Arkansas. The so that Cecil Partee became governor, story of his youth is typical of black the first African American to serve as middle class life in Blytheville during governor of our state, but only for one the 1920’s and 1930’s. After complet- day.” ing his undergraduate work at Tennes- see State University, he was denied Mr. Partee was the 1976 Democratic entry to law school at the University nominee for attorney general, but lost of Arkansas. Instead, the state of Ar- to Republican William Scott. He was kansas paid his tuition at Northwestern named commissioner of Chicago’s I got involved quite young in what University where he attained his law Human Services Department and has turned out to be public speaking. degree. served until 1979, when he was elect- They used to have what they called ed city treasurer. He was city treasurer oratorical contests and when I was Upon admission to the Illinois bar, until 1989, when he was appointed six years of age I was taught and said, Mr. Partee started practice in Chicago. state’s attorney after Richard M. Daley in one of the contests, Longfellow’s With the idea of widening contacts was elected mayor. He ran in a 1990 “A Psalm of Life,” which is about an for his practice, he requested commit- special election to fill the remaining eight-stanza poem which I was able teeman William L. Dawson to assign two years of the term, but lost to Re- to do at six. They had this oratori- him a precinct. This precinct captain publican Jack O’Malley. cal contest and I said that poem and a assignment started his long-term as- girl said a poem called, “Is It Because sociation with the regular Democratic Cecil Partee died of lung cancer Au- I’m Nobody’s Child?” The girl was organization in Chicago. He was soon gust 16, 1994, and was survived by his given first place and I was given sec- offered, and in 1948 accepted, a posi- wife Paris; two daughters, Paris and ond place and two persons contested tion as an assistant state’s attorney. Cecile, and two granddaughters. the judges’ decision and, as a con- sequence, they gave both of us first In 1955, two significant events oc- place. One of those two persons was a Cecil Partee Oral History curred. First, he married Paris Ange- black lawyer. lina Bradley, and second, reapportion- ment increased Chicago’s representa- Boyhood and Education It was the very first time I had ever tion in the Illinois General Assembly. met a lawyer who was black. I sup- Q: What was life like in Blytheville, Mr. Partee was asked if he would run pose—it might have been the first time Arkansas when you were quite young? in 1956 for one of the new positions I ever really met a lawyer, I’m not in the House of Representatives. He A: Well, it was just a small town sure. It was very interesting to me. did so and continued in the House for when I was quite young. By 1930, He took an interest in me and the next five sessions (1957-1967), then moved when I was nine, it was a town of six day he took me down to his office and on to serve five sessions in the Senate, thousand people. It was, in one sense, introduced me to various people. So, (1967-1977). While in the Senate, progressive. They had the first radio I guess, really, that was the first time I during the 77th through 79th General station in Arkansas, even including had seen a lawyer and I guess maybe Assemblies when the Democrats held Little Rock and all the larger towns. It in the back of my mind that has al- majorities, he served as the first Afri- was segregated and we had a school. ways stuck out. can American President Pro Tempore You went to school and you went to A: I always wanted to be a doctor, of the Senate (1971), Minority Leader church and many of your teachers that was my plan. (1973), and Senate President (1975). were also people who taught in the According to his obituary in the Chi- church. Q: Oh? A physician? cago Sun-Times, he became the state’s The church offered a lot of opportuni- A: A physician, yes. I found out one first black governor—for a day. “Un- ties to participate in plays or to say der the old Illinois Constitution, when- day that I had no chemistry for blood speeches. We had programs on Moth- and illness and I hated to be around ever the governor was out of the state, er’s Day, on Christmas, on Thanks- the lieutenant governor became the people when they were sick because I giving. Had three or four programs a didn’t feel I could do enough for them. governor and the next person in line year at the church where you would was the the president of the state Sen- So I abandoned the notion of being a have an opportunity to say a poem or doctor. ate,” said U.S. Senator Paul Simon. something that was appropriate for “Once when Governor Richard that particular holiday. Ogilvie was out of the state, I purpose- 2 / Legislative Research Unit I really went into business because I they had an accelerated course over want a job and no precinct, and here’s had wanted to be an actuary, because I there. I went to school forty-eight a guy who wants a precinct and no did very well in math and all. weeks a year so I finished Northwest- job.” ern eight days short of two calendar After I started debating and started years. He said, “Well, why do you want a doing very well in the debating, it was precinct?” I said, “Well, you see, I’m suggested to me by one of my history not from here, I don’t know a lot of professors that maybe I ought to con- Assistant State’s Attorney Then people here, I’m trying to get to know sider going to law school. My room- Legislator a lot of people. If I had a precinct, I mate was a fellow who came to school would know 500 people by their first saying he wanted to be a lawyer and Q: While you were still at the univer- name and 500 people would know so we got to talking about it again and sity in school, had you started working me by my first name. And that would I then decided probably that would be or figuring out what you were going give me some start towards getting the way I would go.

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