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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of former Illinois Senate President Thomas
4Hynes, who passed away on May 4, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, President Hynes spent three years studying to
6become a priest at Quigley Preparatory Seminary; he decided to
7take a different path and enrolled at Loyola University; he
8graduated in 1959; three years later, he graduated first in his
9class from Loyola Law School; his first job as a lawyer was at
10one of the city's most prestigious law firms, Jenner & Block;
11he later taught law at John Marshall Law School; and
 
12    WHEREAS, President Hynes was elected an Illinois State
13Senator in 1970, and, only seven years later, became the
14youngest president in the history of the Illinois Senate; he
15was a top member of the Democratic National Committee and also
16headed President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign; and
 
17    WHEREAS, President Hynes was an early chief sponsor of the
18Equal Rights Amendment, which the Illinois General Assembly
19ratified in 2018; he was a major supporter of increased funding
20for Chicago Public Schools; and
 
21    WHEREAS, President Hynes served as Cook County 19th Ward

 

 

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1Democratic Committeeman for three decades until 2005; he became
2one of the most influential Democratic forces in Chicago; he
3also served as Cook County Assessor and was author of the
4State's homeowners' property tax exemption; and
 
5    WHEREAS, President Hynes demonstrated the basic power of
6politics and public service by understanding and meeting the
7daily concerns of constituents and organizing them into a
8political force; and
 
9    WHEREAS, President Hynes is survived by his wife, Judith;
10his sons, Deputy Governor Dan Hynes, Matt Hynes, and Thomas
11Hynes; his daughter, Leah Griffin; and 10 grandchildren;
12therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
15former Illinois Senate President Thomas Hynes and extend our
16sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
17and loved him; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of President Hynes as an expression of
20our deepest sympathy.