HR0946

LRB095 18789 KXB 44915 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former 
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Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer, who passed away on January 19, 
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2008; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Eugene Sawyer was known for his calm manner and 
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ability to forge compromise; he rose to prominence in the days 
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following Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's death in November 
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of 1987; after a bitter, racially charged debate, a split 
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council voted to name him as Mayor Washington's replacement; he 
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served as mayor until 1989, when he lost in the Democratic 
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primary to current Mayor Richard M. Daley; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was born in Greensboro, Alabama; after moving 
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from Alabama to Chicago in 1957 with a degree in chemistry from 
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Alabama State University, he was hired as an industrial waste 
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coordinator for the Chicago Sewer Department; and in 1971 he 
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was elected 6th Ward alderman; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Eugene Sawyer was soft-spoken and quiet;  even 
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after he became mayor, he often held breakfast meetings at a 
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South Side restaurant called Ms. Biscuit; during his brief 
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tenure, Mayor Sawyer pushed through several initiatives that 
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Mayor Washington had started or supported, including a 
 


 






HR0946
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LRB095 18789 KXB 44915 r




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human-rights ordinance that had languished in the council for 
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years before it was approved in 1988; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After leaving office, he became an officer of an 
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energy company; he later switched the firm's focus to wholesale 
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tobacco deals; while he stayed in touch with politics, he spent 
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much of his time following sports and fancied himself a 
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talented poker player; he was also a devout member of his 
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church and a devoted family man; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Eugene Sawyer is survived by his wife,

Veronica; 
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his children, Roderick, Shedrick, and Sheryl McGill; his 
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brothers Ernest and Charles; his sister Shirley; and his four 
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grandchildren; he was preceded in death by his sister, Melnee; 
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therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of former 
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Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Eugene Sawyer as a symbol of our 
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sincere sympathy.