Gus Savage
Gus Savage | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 2nd district | |
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | |
Preceded by | Morgan F. Murphy |
Succeeded by | Mel Reynolds |
Personal details | |
Born | Augustus Alexander Savage October 30, 1925 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | October 31, 2015 Olympia Fields, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 90)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Eunice King (1946-81; her death) |
Children | Thomas James, Emma Mae |
Alma mater | Roosevelt University Chicago-Kent College of Law |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1943–1946 |
Augustus Alexander "Gus" Savage (October 30, 1925 – October 31, 2015) was an American entrepreneur, publisher and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.[1]
Life and career
Savage was born in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 and then worked as a journalist from 1954 to 1979, owning a chain of weekly community newspapers in the Chicago area including the South End Citizen. The Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group became the largest Black-owned chain of weekly newspapers in the Midwest with a circulation of 121,000.
Savage entered political life in 1948 as a Progressive Party organizer. He challenged the local establishment's chosen candidates for the House of Representatives in
In 1983 he joined with 7 other Congressional Representatives to sponsor a resolution to
In 1989, Savage was accused of trying to force himself on a female
Savage had long been controversial even in his own district. His racially incendiary and anti-Semitic remarks frequently drew bipartisan criticism.[6][7] He never won a primary election–the real contest in this overwhelmingly Democratic district–with more than 52% of the vote, and usually faced multiple challengers.
For the
In one of his final acts as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, excavation and construction at the site of the
Death
Savage died on October 31, 2015, one day after his 90th birthday, which he celebrated with his closest friends and family. He is survived by his son Thomas Savage, daughter, Dr. Emma Savage, and grandchildren Thomas Savage Jr., Chyella McBride, and Alexandria Savage.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "SAVAGE, Gus". house.gov. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ a b Schmidt, William E. (March 21, 1990). "Rep. Savage Claims Victory in Illinois". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^
John Nichols (2016). "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism". ISBN 9781595587350. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
- ^ "Lawmaker Is Accused of Sexual Impropriety - The New York Times". The New York Times.
- ^ Holmes, Steven A. (February 3, 1990). "Panel Is Critical Of Representative". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "Savage, Gus". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "Colleague Denounces Comments By Illinois Congressman as Bigoted". New York Times. 1990-03-28.
- ^ Wilkerson, Isabel (March 14, 1992). "Gunshots Fired at Congressional Candidate in Bitter Chicago Race". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Primaries; Brown and Tsongas Search For Victory in Connecticut". New York Times. 1992-03-19.
- ^ Bobby Rush and Mel Reynolds defeat incumbent congressmen, by Manuel Galvan, Illinois Periodicals Online 16 May 1992
- ^ Rothstein, Edward (25 February 2010). "A Burial and Its Dead Are Given Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ Chicago Tribune (31 October 2015). "Gus Savage, controversial former congressman, dies at 90". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- The New York Times Article archives on former Representative Gus Savage (135 articles).
- Gus Savage at Congressional Bad Boys
- Appearances on C-SPAN