HR0801 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0801 LRB100 19704 ALS 34978 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, George N. Leighton is one of the most distinguished citizens of Illinois; he served in the army during the Second World War, became a renowned civil rights lawyer, and earned further respect as a federal judge; and

WHEREAS, George Leighton was born to immigrant parents in Massachusetts, grew up in poverty, worked with his parents in cranberry bogs, and was unable to attend high school; and

WHEREAS, Despite not having graduated high school, George Leighton earned a scholarship to college and attended Howard University, where he studied history; he then earned admission and a scholarship to Harvard Law School; and

WHEREAS, When the United States entered the Second World War, George Leighton entered service as an ROTC Second Lieutenant in the segregated 93rd Infantry Division of the Army, serving as a logistics officer in the Pacific campaign; he earned a Bronze Star and was discharged with the rank of Captain in 1945; and

WHEREAS, Upon returning home after the war, George Leighton returned to Harvard Law, completed his degree, passed the bar, and moved to Chicago in 1946; and

WHEREAS, As a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago, George Leighton took on key civil rights cases in a number of areas, including voting rights, school desegregation, and housing integration; in 1951, he founded a predominantly African American law firm that became one of the largest such firms in the country; in 1952, he became the president of the Chicago branch of the NAACP; and

WHEREAS, George Leighton was elected as a Cook County Circuit Court judge in 1964 and served as one of the few African American judges in the county; he was the first African American judge appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court, and he served ten years as a U.S. District Court judge, retiring at the age of 74; he then continued practicing law; and

WHEREAS, George Leighton, now aged 105, wishes to be buried as a soldier in Arlington National Cemetery; however, Arlington National Cemetery has strict regulations for allowing burial, such that a candidate must have served 20 years active duty, been a prisoner of war, earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star, or higher decoration, or died while on active duty; waivers may be granted by the Secretary of the Army, or, in special cases, the Secretary of Defense or the President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Veterans Caucus of the Chicago City Council plans to introduce a resolution urging the federal government to grant George Leighton's request, and Senator Richard Durbin has recently joined this effort by announcing his support and pledging to help in any way he can; and

WHEREAS, George Leighton has honorably served the United States and the State of Illinois as a soldier during the Second World War, a staunch promoter of civil rights, and as a pioneer judge; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support Senator Durbin and the Veterans Caucus of the Chicago City Council in this effort, and we urge the federal government to grant George N. Leighton's request to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Senator Richard Durbin, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Defense, and the President of the United States.