Barbara Flynn Currie
Barbara Flynn Currie | |
---|---|
Greg Harris | |
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
In office January 1979 – January 2019 | |
Preceded by | Robert E. Mann |
Succeeded by | Curtis Tarver |
Constituency | 24th district (1979–1983) 26th district (1983–1993) 25th district (1993–2019) |
Personal details | |
Born | La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S. | May 3, 1940
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | David Currie |
Education | University of Chicago (BA, MA) |
Barbara Flynn Currie (born May 3, 1940) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 2019. She served as the Majority Leader from 1997 to 2019. Flynn Currie's forty years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly is the longest tenure of any woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly.[1]
Personal life and education
Barbara Flynn grew up in the
Currie slowly finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago, balancing her studies with caring for her children. She graduated from the college in 1968, followed by a master's degree in political science from the same university in 1973. She was politically active, working on the campaign for Michael Shakman, a Chicago-based attorney and activist who ran for delegate to the state's 1970 constitutional convention.[2]
Currie is a member of the Chicago League of Women Voters, the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership, Women United for South Shore, and the Board of the ACLU of Illinois.
House of Representatives
Currie was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1978. She ran in the 24th district, where incumbent Robert E. Mann had announced his retirement. At the time, women comprised only 13% of the General Assembly. In 1997, Currie became the majority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, the first woman to hold that position.[2] On September 14, 2017, she announced she would not stand for reelection in 2018.[4]
Political positions
Currie co-sponsored bills that established the Illinois earned income tax credit, repealed capital punishment, and legalized same-sex marriage.[2]
Impeachment of Rod Blagojevich
In December 2008, following the arrest of Illinois Governor
Later career
In April 2019, Pritzker appointed Currie to the Illinois Pollution Control Board.[6] Her husband, David, had created the board 50 years before her appointment, and served as its first chairman. She also served as the board's chairman, earning an annual salary of nearly $124,000. Currie knew that Madigan had recommended her. However, she denied his clout had played a role, instead pointing to her legislative track record and interactions with the governor.[5]
References
- ^ Musser, Ashley; Dutton, Julie (February 11, 2016). "Illinois Women in Congress and General Assembly" (PDF). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Chung, Jeanie (Summer 2019). "After 40 years representing Hyde Park's district in the Illinois House, a veteran lawmaker steps aside". The University of Chicago Magazine. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "David P. Currie, University of Chicago Law School Professor, 1936-2007" (Press release). University of Chicago News Office. October 16, 2007. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Rich (September 14, 2017). "Leader Currie to retire at end of term". Capitol Fax. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Mihalopoulos, Dan (June 11, 2020). "Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Hired 35 People From House Speaker Michael Madigan's Clout List". WBEZ. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Finke, Doug (April 26, 2019). "Barbara Flynn Currie named to $117K post on Pollution Control Board". The State Journal-Register. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
External links
- Biography, bills and committees at the 98th Illinois General Assembly
- State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie constituency site
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Profile at OurCampaigns.com
- Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie at Illinois House Democrats