State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR0187

 
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 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington  was  born  in  Chicago,
 3    Illinois on April 15, 1922, to Roy and Bertha Washington; and

 4        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold Washington was active in politics
 5    as a young man growing up on the South Side of Chicago  under
 6    the  tutelage of his father, Attorney Roy Washington, who was
 7    a leader in the Third Ward; and

 8        WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington  was  drafted  into  the
 9    United  States  Army  in 1939 and served his country in World
10    War II as a soil technician in the Guam  Theater;  he  earned
11    the rank of First Sergeant; and

12        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold  Washington  had  an unquenchable
13    thirst for knowledge and a strong desire to become  educated;
14    he  enrolled  in  Roosevelt  University  where  he became the
15    President of the Student Council in  1947  and  graduated  in
16    1949;  he  then entered Northwestern University School of Law
17    where he earned his Jurist Doctor degree; and

18        WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington followed the example set
19    by his father becoming  active  in  the  Third  Ward  Regular
20    Democratic  Organization  and the Third Ward Young Democrats;
21    he began a lifetime  of  service  to  the  city,  State,  and
22    country; and

23        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold Washington served as an Assistant
24    City Attorney from 1954 to 1958;  he  was  a  member  of  the
25    Illinois  House  of Representatives from 1966 through 1976; a
26    member of the Illinois Senate from 1976 to 1980; and a member
27    of the United States House of Representatives from 1980 until
28    1983; and

29        WHEREAS, On April 22, 1983, Harold Washington was elected
30    to the Office of the Mayor of the City  of  Chicago,  thereby
31    making  him  the first African-American to be elected to that
 
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 1    position and then re-elected  in  1987;  his  tenure  in  the
 2    Office  of  the  Mayor had many historical implications which
 3    included the election and challenges  of  his  administration
 4    that  have  been  the  subject  of numerous books, essays and
 5    articles in newspapers, magazines,  and  scholarly  journals;
 6    and

 7        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold  Washington  has left a legacy of
 8    programs and accomplishments that have not been surpassed and
 9    some of which have been adopted nationally; and

10        WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington issued Executive  Orders
11    and  ordinances  that  became  models for the country's urban
12    cities, including advisory  commissions  on  the  affairs  of
13    Latinos,  Women, and Asians; ordinances on affirmative action
14    in  employment  and  procurement,  tenants  rights,  campaign
15    finance reform, freedom of  information,  and  South  African
16    divestiture; and

17        WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington issued the first general
18    obligation bonds to be used for the redevelopment of the City
19    of Chicago's neighborhoods aging infrastructure; and

20        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold  Washington  promulgated a linked
21    development program that required development dollars  to  be
22    spent in the neighborhoods when they are spent in the central
23    business district; and

24        WHEREAS,  As  Chairman of the United States Conference of
25    Mayors, he put forth an agenda for the re-development of  the
26    inner   cities,   beginning   a  national  dialogue  on  race
27    relations; and

28        WHEREAS,  In  June  of  1983  Mayor   Harold   Washington
29    organized  the  first parade held in honor of veterans of the
30    Vietnam War and a national  newspaper  article  stated,  "The
31    image  of Mayor Harold Washington and General Westmoreland in
 
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 1    the reviewing stand, saluting the Vietnam War veterans of all
 2    races, genders, and nationalities was a sight to behold"; and

 3        WHEREAS, Mayor  Harold  Washington  instituted  a  public
 4    policy  and  practice of fairness and equality for all of the
 5    citizens and communities; this attitude was made clear in his
 6    first inaugural address on April 29, 1983, when he  said,  "I
 7    hope to be remembered by history as the Mayor who cared about
 8    people and who was above all, fair"; and

 9        WHEREAS,  Mayor  Harold  Washington  died  tragically and
10    suddenly in office on November 25, 1987, leaving  the  entire
11    City of Chicago overcome with grief for many days; therefore,
12    be it

13        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
14    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15    we declare April 15, 2001, as Harold Washington United States
16    Commemorative Stamp Day, and urge all citizens of Illinois to
17    be aware of the contributions of Mayor Harold Washington  and
18    to  write to the United States Postal Service Citizens' Stamp
19    Advisory Committee urging them to issue a commemorative stamp
20    in honor of Mayor Harold Washington; and be it further

21        RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent
22    to the United States Postal Service Citizens' Stamp  Advisory
23    Committee, to the President of the United States, and to each
24    member of the Illinois congressional delegation.

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