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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of R. Eugene Pincham of Chicago, who passed
4 away on April 3, 2008; and
 
5     WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham was born in Chicago on June 28,
6 1925 and grew up in Alabama; he graduated from high school in
7 1942 and later attended LeMoyne College in Memphis; he
8 transferred to Tennessee State University in 1944 and earned a
9 bachelor's degree in political science in 1947; and
 
10     WHEREAS, He married Alzata C. Henry in 1948 and enrolled in
11 Northwestern University School of Law that same year; he worked
12 his way through school by waiting on tables at the Palmer House
13 Hotel and shining shoes; he earned his law degree in 1951; and
 
14     WHEREAS, He practiced law for the next 25 years; he was a
15 brilliant criminal defense lawyer and a hero in Chicago's black
16 neighborhoods; and
 
17     WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham built a law practice as a
18 advocate of causes that few others would champion; and
 
19     WHEREAS, His knowledge, savvy and one-of-a-kind oratory
20 made him the stuff of legends in the Cook County courts; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, During closing arguments, people would fill the
2 courtroom just to hear Mr. Pincham speak; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Even though a renowned barrister, he took the time
4 to mentor young lawyers, both as a lawyer and later as a judge;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Many have said that Judge Pincham encouraged
7 people to do `what was right rather than what was expedient;
8 and
 
9     WHEREAS, He served as both a Cook County judge and Illinois
10 Appellate Court justice; he became a Circuit Court judge in
11 1976 and was assigned to the Criminal Division, where he served
12 until 1984; he then became an Appellate Court justice and
13 resigned in 1989; and
 
14     WHEREAS, He was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi
15 Fraternity; and he was a member of Trinity United Church of
16 Christ; and
 
17     WHEREAS, In 1989 he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic
18 Party nomination for president of the Cook County Board of
19 Commissioners; he was the nominee for mayor of Chicago in the
20 Harold Washington Party in 1991; he lost the election but

 

 

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1 carried 19 of the 50 city wards; and
 
2     WHEREAS, After his retirement, Judge Pincham continued to
3 practice law; he also lectured at Harvard University,
4 Northwestern, DePaul, Notre Dame, and the University of
5 Chicago; he was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union
6 and a lifetime member of the NAACP; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Judge Pincham is survived by his son, Robert
8 Eugene Pincham Jr.; his daughter, Dr. Andrea Michelle
9 Pincham-Benton; his son, James Frederick Pincham; and his three
10 grandchildren; he was preceded in death by his wife; therefore,
11 be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
14 his family and friends, the passing of Judge R. Eugene Pincham;
15 and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to the family of R. Eugene Pincham as a symbol of our
18 sympathy.