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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois 
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learned with regret of the death of former Senate President 
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William "Bill" C. Harris of Pontiac on December 30, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Senator Harris was born May 7, 1921, in Pontiac to 
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Raleigh J. and Bernadine (Cullen) Harris; he graduated from 
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Pontiac grade and high schools; he entered Michigan State 
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University in the fall of 1941, and in  December 1941, he 
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enlisted in the U.S. Navy; while at Great Lakes, he was named 
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honor man out of a class of 750 in the naval program; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Senator Harris valiantly served his country 
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during World War II as aviation chief ordinance man in the 
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South Pacific and was honorably discharged in December of 1945; 
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after returning to Pontiac, he joined the R.J. Harris Funeral 
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Home as a partner; on May 31, 1947, he married Jeanne Turck in 
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Pontiac at the original Grace Episcopal Church on the square; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, In May 1948, he became the charter president of 
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Pontiac Jaycees; he was also a charter member of the Saint 
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James Hospital advisory board, and a member of the Moose, 
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Pontiac Elks Lodge, Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 
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American Legion, and the Voiture 8 et 8 in Pontiac; and

 
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    WHEREAS, First elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 
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1954 at the age of 33, he was the House Whip during his six 
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years of tenure in that body; in 1960, he was elected to the 
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Senate, and during his 16 years of service, he held the 
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position of assistant majority leader and was elected the first 
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President of the Senate under the new Illinois Constitution; 
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during his tenure in the Senate, he was chairman of the 
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Budgetary Commission and was the first chairman of the Economic 
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and Fiscal Commission, successor to the Budgetary Commission, 
 


 






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and he was elected "Most Effective Senator" three consecutive 
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years; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In 1977, he was appointed by Governor Jim Thompson 
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as Commissioner of Banks and Trust Companies, a position he 
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held until he retired in January 1991; while serving as 
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commissioner, he also served as chairman of the board of the 
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National Conference of State Bank Supervisors and was a board 
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member of the C.S.B.S., Washington, D.C., for eight years; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Senator Harris was a delegate to the Republican 
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National Convention in Miami in 1968; he served as trustee of 
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the Humiston Haven Nursing Home, trustee of the Appolos Camp, 
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Bennet Humiston Trust since 1975, and trustee on the Floyd and 
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Alta Byrne Trust; he served as a senior vice president of Cole 
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Taylor Bank, as a board member of the Community Bank of 
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Pittsfield, and as ambassador at-large to the Community Bankers 
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of Illinois; he was chairman of the World Trade Association of 
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Illinois for two years, a board member of the Cradle in 
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Evanston for many years, and then was an Emeritus Member of the 
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Cradle Board; he was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in 
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Pontiac; and

 
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    WHEREAS, A staunch Republican, Senator Harris was widely 
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respected regardless of partisan politics, and he will be 
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remembered as a great people person and as always having a 
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smile and an upbeat attitude; on the statewide scene, the City 
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of Pontiac was synonymous with Bill Harris; he was a part of 
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the history and depth of Pontiac and of Illinois history; in 
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the Senate, he was known to "reach across the political aisle" 
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and was supportive of needs across the State; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The passing of William C. Harris has been felt by 
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many, especially his wife Jeanne; his children, Barbara A. 
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Harris and Charles M. (Robin) Harris; and his grandchildren, 
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Lindsey J. Schrof and Jenna Harris; he was preceded in death by 
 


 






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his mother, Bernadine Harris; his father, Raleigh J. Harris; 
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his sister, Helen Elizabeth Harris; and his brother, Raleigh J. 
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Harris Jr.; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
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Senator  William C. Harris, a man who will be remembered for his 
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integrity and thoroughness in the job, and we extend our 
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deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and 
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loved him; and be it further

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