| Dates: | 1957-1976 (Bulk dates 1970-1976) |
| Size: | 3.25 linear feet in 7 boxes and 2 artifacts |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | spe-H00020 |
| Immediate source of acquisition: | The records were acquired by the Chicago Public Library after Harold Washington’s death. |
| Conditions governing use: | Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection. |
| Conditions governing access: | Materials are open without restrictions. |
| Physical location note: | Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least 24-hours prior to your research visit to coordinate access. |
| Preferred citation: | When quoting from this collection the preferred citation is: Harold Washington Archives and Collections, Illinois State Representative Records, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library |
| Finding aid author: | Morag Walsh, circa 1995. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Sarah Zimmerman, 2021 |
Abstract
Reports, minutes, press releases, speeches, newsletters and news clippings from Harold Washington’s tenure as State Representative for the 26th District of Illinois. Major topics covered in this collection include the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Law and the Medical Malpractice Act.
Biographical/Historical
Harold Washington was sworn in to the Illinois House of Representatives on January 6, 1965, representing the 26th district of Illinois. He served there until 1976 when he was elected to the Illinois Senate. Harold Washington had a reputation as an outstanding legislator. As a State Representative, Washington is credited with the Consumer Credit Reform Act of 1965, the Witness Protection Act of 1972, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Law of 1973, the Public Contract Laws of Fair Employment Practices Commission of 1974 and the Medical Malpractice Insurance Revision of 1975.
Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983.
Harold Washington was born on April 15, 1922, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. His parents, Roy Lee and Bertha Jones Washington, divorced when he was young, and he lived with his father in Chicago and attended boarding school in Milwaukee. Washington entered Chicago’s DuSable High School in 1939, served in the Civilian Conservation Corps for six months, enlisted in the military from 1943 to 1946 and returned to DuSable High School to graduate in 1946. After earning a bachelor degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago and a law degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., Washington enjoyed a career as a practicing attorney before he turned to politics.
Washington’s political career encompassed roles at the municipal, state and national levels of government. He served as Illinois State Representative for the 26th District from 1965 to 1976. He then became Illinois State Senator for the 26th District from 1976 to 1980. Washington ran for mayor of Chicago in 1977, but lost. In 1980, he became a U.S. Congressman for the 1st District and served in that post until 1983. Washington again ran for mayor in 1983, winning the Democratic primary election in February of that year and the general election in April. He was inaugurated on April 29, 1983 and was re-elected in 1987. Harold Washington died at 1:36 PM on November 25, 1987 of a cardiac arrest, just a few months into his second term as mayor. He is buried in Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.
Scope and Contents
This collection reflects Washington's activities in the Illinois State Assembly, most notably the legislation noted above. Formats include reports, copies of House Bills, minutes, memos, news clippings and correspondence. For photographs, please see the Pre-Mayoral Photograph Collection.
Arrangement
Where possible the original organization has been maintained. The records are arranged into seven series:
- Series 1: Legislative, 1971-1976, undated
- Series 2: Committee and Caucus, 1957-1976, undated
- Series 3: Constituent, 1972-1976
- Series 4: Campaign, 1974, undated
- Series 5: Press and Publicity, 1964-1976
- Series 6: Administrative, 1970-1975, undated
- Series 7: Artifacts, 1974
Related Materials
- Harold Washington, Illinois State Senate Records
- Harold Washington, U.S. Congressional Records
- Harold Washington, Mayoral Campaign Records
- Harold Washington, Pre-Mayoral Photograph Collection
- Harold Washington, Asian American Advisory Committee Records
- Harold Washington, Central Files Records
- Harold Washington, Chief of Staff Records
- Harold Washington, City Council Proceedings Records
- Harold Washington, Community Services Sub-Cabinet Records
- Harold Washington, Development Sub-Cabinet Records
- Harold Washington, Finance and Administration Sub-Cabinet Records
- Harold Washington, Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet Records
- Harold Washington, Intergovernmental Affairs Records
- Harold Washington, Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records
- Harold Washington, Press Office Records
- Harold Washington, Public Safety/Regulatory Sub-Cabinet Records
- Harold Washington, Real Estate Committee Records
- Harold Washington, Schedules and Evaluations Records
- Harold Washington, Videotapes
- Harold Washington, Commemorative Year Archives
- Harold Washington, Political Education Project Records
Subject Headings
- Illinois. Fair Employment Practices Commission
- Illinois. General Assembly. House of Representatives. Judiciary Committee
- Illinois--Politics and government—Sources
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- Physicians' malpractice insurance—Law and Legislation—Illinois
- Washington, Harold, 1922-1987—Sources
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Legislative Series, 1971-1976, undated
Scope and Contents
These records contain reports, correspondence, copies of House Bills and transcripts of debates.
Arrangement
The records are organized alphabetically, and then chronologically where appropriate.
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Area Development Bills, 1973-1974 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Area Development Bills, 1975-1976 |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Beauty Culture Act Amendment (HB 45), 1973-1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Currency Exchange Law (HB 1850), 1974-1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | Department of Labor, Annual Report, [1975] |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | Detrimental Business Practices Act (HB 46), 1974-1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Explanatory Report on Recommendations for Permanent Rules of the House of Representatives, 1975-1976 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | Fair Employment Practices Commission: Background Paper, 1976 |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Fair Employment Practices Commission: Court Appeals, 1974-1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Fair Employment Practices Commission: US Department of Labor Ruling, 1974 |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | Health Care Licensing Transfer Act of 1976, 1976 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | Illinois Fairness in Lending Act (HB 2350), Correspondence, [1975] |
| Box 1 | Folder 13 | Illinois Industrial Development Authority Act Amendment (HB 1974), 1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 14 | Illinois Small Construction Business Act (HB 2010), 1975 |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | King, Martin Luther, Birthday (HB 5): Birthday Dinner, 1973 |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | King, Martin Luther, Birthday (HB 5): Proposed Bill (HB 005), 1972 |
| Box 2 | Folder 3-5 | King, Martin Luther, Birthday (HB 5): State Holiday Bill, Petitions, 1974 |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | Mass Transportation Bills (HB 2820 and 2426), 1975-1976 |
| Box 2 | Folder 7 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Bills, 1975-1976 |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): 1975 June |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): 1976 |
| Box 2 | Folder 10 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): News clippings, 1975 |
| Box 2 | Folder 11 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Notes, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 12 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Report of Judiciary I Committee, First Draft, 1976 |
| Box 2 | Folder 13-14 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Report of Judiciary I Committee, Second Draft, 1976 |
| Box 2 | Folder 15 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Report of Judiciary I Committee, Update, 1976 |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Reports, 1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 2 | Medical Malpractice Act (HB 1267 and 3545): Reports, 1976 |
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | Misuse of Police Authority in Chicago. “Hearings report, Blue Ribbon Panel of Congressman Ralph H. Metcalfe, 1972 |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | Office of Minority Business Enterprises, Program Proposal Report, 1973 |
| Box 3 | Folder 4a | Police Reform, Miscellaneous Resolutions, undated |
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | Probation (HB 1056), 1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 5a | Provident Hospital (HR 557, HB 4020), 1972, 1976 |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | Small Business Purchasing Act Amendment (HB 818), 1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 7-9 | Small Business Purchasing Act and State Finance Act Amendment (HB 1766), 1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 10 | Small Community Problems, Report, 1972 |
| Box 3 | Folder 10a | Stop and Frisk Repeal (HB 004), "Stop and Search": Bills, Correspondence, 1972-1973 |
| Box 3 | Folder 10b | Stop and Frisk Repeal (HB 004), "Stop and Search": Reports, News clippings, 1972-1974 |
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | "Toward a Theory on Black Legislative Politics", [1973] |
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | Veto Analyses of Senate Bills, 1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | Voting Record and Record of Sponsored Legislation, 1971-1975 |
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | Miscellaneous Legislation: Memoranda, 1973-1974 |
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | Miscellaneous Legislation: Working Notes, [1975] |
| Box 3a | Folder 1 | Transcripts of Debates, 1971 October-November |
| Box 3a | Folder 2 | Transcripts of Debates, 1971 November, 1972 May-June |
| Box 3a | Folder 3 | Transcripts of Debates, 1972 June, 1973 January-February |
| Box 3a | Folder 4 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 February-March |
| Box 3a | Folder 5 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 April |
| Box 3a | Folder 6 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 April, 1973 May |
| Box 3a | Folder 7 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 May-June |
| Box 3a | Folder 8 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 June |
| Box 3a | Folder 9 | Transcripts of Debates, 1973 June, 1974 June-July |
| Box 3a | Folder 10 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 January-May |
| Box 3a | Folder 11 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 May |
| Box 3a | Folder 12 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 May-June |
| Box 3a | Folder 13 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 June |
| Box 3a | Folder 14 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 June, 1975 November |
| Box 3a | Folder 15 | Transcripts of Debates, 1975 November, 1976 April-June |
| Box 3a | Folder 16 | Transcripts of Debates, 1976 June |
| Box 3a | Folder 17 | Transcripts of Debates, 1976 June |
| Box 3a | Folder 18 | Transcripts of Debates, 1976 May-June |
| Box 3a | Folder 19 | Transcripts of Debates, 1976 June-December |
Series 2: Committee and Caucus Series, 1957-1976, undated
Scope and Contents
These records include materials on the Judiciary Committee, the Legislative Committee on Minority Group Employment in State Government, and the Policy-Number Game Study Committee.
Arrangement
The records are organized alphabetically, and then chronologically where appropriate.
| Box 4 | Folder 1 | Judiciary Committee: Bill Synopses and Committee Comments (HB 126-HB 1686), 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Judiciary Committee: Bill Synopses and Committee Comments (HB 1709-HB 2980), 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 3 | Judiciary Committee: Cumulative Committee Legislative History, 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 4 | Judiciary Committee: House Rules for Committees, 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 5 | Judiciary Committee: Memoranda, 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 6 | Judiciary Committee: Subcommittee Assignments List, undated |
| Box 4 | Folder 7 | Judiciary Committee: Subcommittee to Investigate Slumlord Activities, Report, 1974 |
| Box 4 | Folder 8 | Judiciary Committee: Subcommittee to Study Amendments...Speedy Trial Provisions, 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 9-11 | Legislative Committee on Minority Group Employment in State Government Correspondence, 1969-1972 |
| Box 4 | Folder 12 | Policy-Numbers Game Study Committee: “Brief History of Gambling in Illinois", undated |
| Box 4 | Folder 12a | Policy-Numbers Game Study Committee: "The Policy Game in Chicago", 1957 |
| Box 4 | Folder 13 | (HB 3932), 1976 |
| Box 4 | Folder 14 | Report, 1975 |
| Box 4 | Folder 15 | Report, 1975 |
Series 3: Constituent Series, 1972-1976
Scope and Contents
Records include index cards and correspondence from constituents.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
| Box 5 | Folder 1 | Names of Constituents - Index Cards, [1973] |
| Box 6 | Folder 1 | Constituent Correspondence, 1972 |
| Box 6 | Folder 2 | Constituent Correspondence, 1973 January-May |
| Box 6 | Folder 3 | Constituent Correspondence, 1973 June-December |
| Box 6 | Folder 4 | Constituent Correspondence, 1974-1976 |
| Box 6 | Folder 4a | Constituent Correspondence, 1975 |
| Box 6 | Folder 5 | Englewood Board for Rehabilitation and New Construction..., By-Laws and Notes, [1973] |
| Box 6 | Folder 6 | House Contracts Compliance, Correspondence, 1972-1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 7 | Military Academy Nominations, Ralph H. Metcalfe, 1972-1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 8 | Prisoner Petitions, 1972-1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 9 | Schools and Scholarships, Correspondence, 1972-1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 10 | 26th Legislative District Business and Service Directory and District Boundaries, 1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 11 | United Private Detective and Security Association et. al, vs City of Chicago, Correspondence and Legal Brief, 1975 |
| Box 6 | Folder 11a | WVON, Wesley South (HR 524), 1975 |
Series 4: Campaign Series, 1974
Scope and Contents
Campaign related material including forms and correspondence.
Arrangement
These files are arranged alphabetically.
| Box 6 | Folder 11b | Statement of Harold Washington to Committee for a Black Mayor, 1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 11c | Volunteers for Rep. Harold Washington: Forms, Correspondence, 1974 |
Series 5: Press and Publicity Series, 1964-1977
Scope and Contents
These files contain mainly news clippings.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
| Box 6 | Folder 12 | Correspondence to Media, 1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 13 | News clippings: National Party Presidential Nominations, 1964 |
| Box 6 | Folder 14 | News clippings, 1973-1977 |
| Box 6 | Folder 14a | News clippings: Black Panther Cover up Investigation, 1976 May |
| Box 6 | Folder 15 | News clippings: Chicago Magazine, 1977 November |
| Box 6 | Folder 16 | Newsletters and News Releases, 1973-1975 |
| Box 6 | Folder 17 | Speeches at DeKalb, 1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 18 | Invitations, Engagements, Correspondence, 1972-1973 |
| Box 6 | Folder 19 | Questionnaires, 1972 |
Series 6: Administrative Series, 1970-1975, undated
Scope and Contents
Series includes miscellaneous administrative and office records.
Arrangement
These records are arranged alphabetically.
| Box 6 | Folder 20 | Form Letters, 1972-1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 21 | Invoice Regarding Photograph Printing, 1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 22 | Mailing Labels, undated |
| Box 6 | Folder 23 | Postal Service Law 91-375, 1970 |
| Box 6 | Folder 24 | Resumes, 1972-1974 |
| Box 6 | Folder 24a | Vouchers, 1975 |
Series 7: Artifact Series, 1974
Scope and Contents
Series includes stationery and an award certificate.
Arrangement
Artifacts are gathered according to physical size.
| Box 6 | Folder 25 | Stationery, 3-ring binder title sticker, "Softball for the Summer" Advertisements, undated |
| Pre-mayoral o/s | Folder 1 | Award Certificate: "Four Flag Award for Legislative Excellence, Illinois AFL-CIO,” 1974 October 1 |
