HR0267 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0267 LRB103 32307 LAW 61617 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who passed away on May 6, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 17, 1926; he served as a U.S. Army sergeant in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II; he attended Northwestern University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Illinois Law Review, known today as the Northwestern University Law Review, and earned his bachelor's degree in 1949 and his Juris Doctor in 1950; he married Josephine "Jo" Baskin in 1949, and she preceded him in death in February 2022; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from law school, Newton Minow served as law clerk to the Honorable Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States, and then as assistant counsel to Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, during which he first suggested televised presidential debates in a memo to the governor in 1955; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow was appointed as chairman of the FCC by President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s; he drafted legislation that expanded the broadcast spectrum, known as the All-Channel Receiver Act (ACRA) of 1962, and promoted the implementation of communication satellite technology; during his tenure, he additionally cemented presidential debates as a national institution and vigorously supported children's programming, leading the way for the creation of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); he served in the Kennedy Administration until 1963 and became executive vice president and general counsel of Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow returned to Chicago in 1965, joining the law firm of Leibman, Williams, Bennett, Baird & Minow, which merged with Sidley & Austin in 1972 before merging with Brown & Wood in 2001; he was a partner at Sidley Austin, LLP from 1965 until 1991, at which time he became senior counsel; he additionally authored five books and wrote numerous articles; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow remained active in Democratic politics and with the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), including co-chairing the 1976 and 1980 presidential debates; he was involved in every organizing presidential debate since then, serving on the CPD until last year; he also served on commissions appointed by presidents of both political parties; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow maintained a lifelong relationship with Northwestern University, joining its board of trustees in 1975, where he served for nearly five decades, and becoming a life trustee in 1987; he received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 1978; he was also the Walter Annenberg Professor Emeritus of communications and law and was the director of the Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy Studies of Northwestern University; he became the namesake of an endowment for a named professorship at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2014 through funding by a consortium of his personal friends, fellow alumni, and colleagues at Sidley Austin, which also established the Newton and Jo Minow Debate Series at the Law School, the first of which was held in November 2015; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow served as a director of many companies, including the Aon Corporation, CBS, the Sara Lee Corporation, Manpower, Inc., the Tribune Company, and Foote, Cone & Belding Communications, Inc.; he was a former chairman of the RAND Corporation, trustee emeritus of the Mayo Clinic, a life trustee of the University of Notre Dame, a former trustee and chairman of the Carnegie Corporation, and former chairman of PBS; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow was named one of 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama in 2016; he was also the recipient of the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award, the Chicago Bar Association John Paul Stevens Award, the Federal Communications Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award; he was the recipient of several honorary degrees, including from Brandeis University, the University of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, and the University of Notre Dame; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow was a mentor, friend, philanthropist, leader, and an icon throughout his many years of service in the public and private sectors; he was kind-hearted to all those he encountered and never shied from an opportunity to speak openly and frankly about something in which he believed; he was known for his leadership, brilliant insights, warmth, and sense of humor; he will be remembered for the incredible contributions he made to society and the nation; and

WHEREAS, Newton Minow is survived by his children, Martha, Nell, and Mary Minow, and three grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Newton Minow as an expression of our deepest sympathy.