Roman Pucinski

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Not to be confused with Roman Polanski.
Roman Pucinski
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 11th district
In office
January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1973
Preceded byTimothy P. Sheehan
Succeeded byFrank Annunzio
City of Chicago Alderman
from the 41st Ward
In office
1973–1991
Preceded byEdward T. Scholl
Succeeded byBrian Doherty
Personal details
Born(1919-05-13)May 13, 1919
John Marshall Law School
ProfessionPolitician
Newspaper Reporter
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army Air Corps
Years of service1941-1945

Roman Conrad Pucinski (May 13, 1919 – September 25, 2002) was an American

Chicago Polonia
and was seen to represent its interests in Washington.

Early and family life

He was born in

John Marshall Law School
in Chicago and graduated in 1949.

Career

President John F. Kennedy meets with a delegation from the Polish American Congress in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. in 1961. (L-R) Secretary General of the Polish American Congress Reverend Valerian S. Karcz; Director of the Polish American Congress Representative Roman Pucinski of Illinois; President Kennedy; President of the Polish American Congress Karol (Charles) Rozmarek; and three unidentified men.

Pucinski worked in journalism for many years, notably at the

Katyn Massacre. This was of special interest to him as a Polish
-American. In 1958, Pucinski was elected U.S. Representative from the heavily
Northwest Side of Chicago
. He was re-elected to six additional terms, serving from 1959 to 1973.

As a representative, Pucinski pushed for the installation of "black box" flight recorders on all passenger airliners and supported federal assistance to community colleges.

When congressional districts were redrawn after the 1970

Census, Pucinski's district remained solidly Democrat but he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate against incumbent Senator Charles H. Percy
; he lost in a landslide.

In 1973, he was first elected alderman from the 41st Ward of Chicago, which had been part of his old congressional district and was heavily

Polish-American. Pucinski also served as Democratic Ward Committeeman from the 41st Ward for many years. After Mayor Richard J. Daley died in 1976, Pucinski ran in the Democratic primary of the special election to succeed him in 1977, even though the Democratic Party had endorsed Michael Bilandic. Bilandic won, Pucinski was the second-place finisher, and Harold Washington
came in third with 11%.

During the

Vrdolyak 29
opposition bloc.

In 1987, he proposed requiring employee voting on any Employee Stock Ownership Plan established by a corporation based in Chicago. In 1984, he supported a redistribution of Community Development Block Grant funds that would have allocated $1.3 million to repave streets in the 41st Ward.

The 41st Ward usually voted for Republicans and the aging Pucinski was defeated in his campaign for re-election as alderman by Republican Brian Doherty in 1991.

Death and legacy

Pucinski was a Catholic.[1] His daughter Aurelia followed him into law and politics. She eventually left the Democratic Party for its Republican counterpart in 1997, but switched back to the Democrats seven years later. Pucinski died in Chicago in 2002, and his son Christopher in 2006.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Catholic Politicians in Illinois". PoliticalGraveyard.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  2. ^ "House fire kills Pucinski brother". Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2019.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Class 2)
1972
 Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 11th congressional district
1959-1973 		Succeeded by
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