James "Pate" Philip
President of the Illinois Senate
In office
January 1993 (1993-January) – January 2003 (2003-January)
Preceded byPhilip J. Rock
Succeeded byEmil Jones Jr.
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 23rd district
40th district (1975-1983)
In office
January 1975 (1975-January) – January 2003 (2003-January)
Preceded byJack T. Knuepfer
Succeeded byRay Soden
Personal details
Born(1930-05-26)May 26, 1930
Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 21, 2023(2023-11-21) (aged 93)
Wood Dale, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseNancy Philip
Children4
Alma materKansas State College
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps Marine Corps
Years of service1950–1953

James Peyton "Pate" Philip (May 26, 1930 – November 21, 2023) was an American politician. A longtime Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly, Philip served both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate including a decade as the President of the Illinois Senate.[1] He was known as a highly influential politician, both for the projects that he passed and blocked in state government and for his often blunt comments.

Richard S. Williamson, the White House chief of intergovernmental affairs under Ronald Reagan, deemed him "one of the most important Republicans in the Midwest".[2]

Early life and career

James Peyton Philip was born on May 26, 1930, in Elmhurst, Illinois.[3] He attended York Community High School, Kansas City Junior College, and Kansas State College.[4] Philip was drafted into the United States Marine Corps at the onset of the Korean War, though he was not deployed overseas.[5] He was a district sales manager for Pepperidge Farm for 38 years and retired in 1992.

Early political career

Philip was elected York Township Auditor in 1965[4] and was elected President of the Illinois Young Republicans the same year.[6]

Illinois House

In 1965, the Illinois Supreme Court resolved a longstanding reapportionment issue and Philip opted to run for the Illinois House in the 37th district. The 37th district consisted of York, Addison, Bloomingdale and Wayne townships along with the City of West Chicago in Winfield Township. He was elected as one of the district's three representatives with Gene L. Hoffman and Bill Redmond. During his first term, he was assigned to the Committees on Conservation, Fish and Game; Executive; Industry and Labor Relations.[7] Republican Lee A. Daniels succeeded Philip as one of three House members from the 40th district as Republican Gene Hoffman and Democrat Bill Redmond were reelected.[8]

Illinois Senate

In 1974, Republican incumbent Jack T. Knuepfer chose to retire from the Illinois Senate. Philip defeated John L. Benzin, a former member of the DuPage County Board of Tax Review, in the Republican primary.[9] In the general election, Philip faced Democratic candidate Bud Loftus.[10] In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, Philip won 22,318 votes to Loftus's 20,984 votes; a slim 3.08% margin in then-staunchly Republican DuPage County.[11][12]

Philip was chosen as the Illinois Senate Minority Leader in 1981 after the death of Dr. David C. Shapiro. Philip had been the assistant minority leader since 1979.[13] In January 1993, after the Republicans gained a majority in the Illinois Senate, he was elected as President of the Illinois Senate and remained in that role until 2003 when Democrats became the majority. He retired shortly after his unopposed reelection and was replaced by Ray Soden.[14]

Senate District

The 40th district to which Philip was elected was in northeastern DuPage County which would be the center of Philip's various constituencies during his Senate career.[15] In the 1981 reapportionment, the 40th district was renumbered the 23rd district and included all of Addison Township and portions of York, Milton, Winfield, Bloomingdale, and Schaumburg townships.[16] This map, drawn by Democrats, forced Philip to move from Elmhurst to Wood Dale.[2] After Republicans won map-making power in 1991,[17] the 23rd district included all of Addison Township, O'Hare International Airport, and portions of York Township in DuPage County and Schaumburg and Leyden townships in Cook County.[18] In the 2001 decennial apportionment, the 23rd district lost its portions that were in Cook County and included all or parts of the localities of Bloomingdale, Roselle, Glendale Heights, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Itasca, Addison, Wheaton, Winfield, Bensenville, Wood Dale, Elmhurst, Villa Park, and Lombard.[19]

Political positions

Chicago school reform

Philip's oft-repeated pronouncements that giving more money to the Chicago public school systems would be like "pouring money down a rat-hole" helped provide the impetus for what Philip said was one of his most important accomplishments—instituting a series of reforms that removed power from school boards rife with corruption. The major beneficiary of these reforms was Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, who with Chief Executive Officer of Schools Paul Vallas removed previous money-wasting reformers from their posts and closed a $1.4 billion deficit over four years without the need to request more state funding.[20] The legislative reforms also challenged the long-standing assertion from Philip's opponents (notably, the Chicago Teachers Union) that Philip harbored a strong dislike for Chicago and its school system.[21]

Lake Calumet Airport

In 1990, Mayor Richard M. Daley, announced his proposal for the Lake Calumet Airport, which would have resulted in the demolition of all of Hegewisch, along with portions of Burnham and Calumet City. The airport faced staunch opposition from Hegewisch residents.[22][23] Philip opposed the Lake Calumet Airport, believing an airport in Peotone, then regarded as an alternate site, would be better suited for an airport. He also opposed the state government paying $2 billion of the airport's costs. In the face of this opposition, Daley declared the airport proposal "dead" and focused on plans to expand O'Hare International Airport.[24][25]

Criminal Justice

Philip's legislative stances on crime were mixed. With backing from the gun lobby representing downstate hunters, Philip fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor.[26] However, he also fought to expand the death penalty to apply to all convicted murderers. The proposed legislation he endorsed also proposed mandatory 10–year prison sentences with no chance of parole for using firearms in a "safe retail zone", defined as shopping malls, strip malls and commercial districts with more than three stores. Philip expressed a preference for expanding this portion of the law to all gun-related crimes, not just safe retail zones. State's attorneys in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area agreed with Philip's stance on gun crimes, but were mixed with regards to changes in the death penalty.[27]

DuPage Tollway

In June 1984, Philip, then the Republican minority leader of the Illinois Senate, helped push through legislation authorizing the construction of a tollway, Interstate 355, then referred to as simply the DuPage Tollway.[28]

Controversy

Philip was also known for making numerous controversial comments on various topics throughout his career. Many, including former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Dawn Clark Netsch, labeled him as both holding and vocally expressing racial prejudice. However, Philip himself said that he was not racist, saying "When you criticize minorities, whether you're right or wrong, their reaction is it's a racist remark."[29]

During the corruption trial of former Gov. George Ryan's top aide Scott Fawell, "Pate" Philip was called as a witness. Prosecutors asked about Philip's 50-year high school reunion—a 1999 $15,000 bash at Navy Pier set up by Scott Fawell. Philip said he never asked for any special treatment, but was happily surprised by it. It was only after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed the party that Philip paid for it out of his campaign fund.

You had a freebie didn't you?", asked prosecutor Pat Collins. "It would appear that way," said Philip.[30]

Also during the trial, prosecutors released a document including ten pages of favors granted to former Senate President Pate Philip.[31]

Philip spoke with Larry Hall, who wore a hidden recorder and taped the conversations as a part of an undercover government investigation. Philip agreed to try to get Hall's sister a job with the secretary of state's office in exchange for Hall's fundraising activities. Prosecutors allege Hall gave $1,400 to Philip's campaign shortly after the conversation.[32]

Philip was criticized for looking into the voter histories of students applying for legislative scholarships, which are funded by the taxpayers of Illinois. In 2001, all five of Philip's scholarships went to Republican primary voters or to students whose parents voted Republican, and the same trend was observed over the prior five years.[33]

Philip, with backing from the gun lobby, fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor.[34]

Electoral history

  • 2002 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
    • Unopposed
  • 1998 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
    • James "Pate" Philip (R), 31,347
    • Rita Gonzalez (D), 13,961[35]
  • 1994 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
    • James "Pate" Philip (R), 29,452
    • Keith Petropoulos (D), 13,100[36]
  • 1990 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
    • Defeated William C. Kaiser (D)

Personal life

Philip was married to Nancy and they had four children.[37][38] James "Pate" Philip State Park, located in DuPage County, is named after Philip.[39]

Philip received a heart bypass at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in June 2004.[40] Philip's stepson Randy Ramey was appointed to the Illinois House in 2005.

On November 21, 2023, Philip died at his home in Wood Dale, Illinois, at the age of 93.[41]

References

  1. ↑ Illinois General Assembly (2007). "Senator James Pate Philip (R)". Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Neal, Steve (January 19, 1990). "Few are neutral about GOP leader Philip". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 29 – via Newsbank.
  3. ↑ Philip, James (May 9, 2011). "Interview with James 'Pate' Philip #ISL-A-L-2011-014" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by DePue, Mark. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "The 75th General Assembly". Illinois Blue Book 1967-1968. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. p. 274.
  5. ↑ Philip, James (May 9, 2011). "James 'Pate' Philip, Illinois Statecraft, ISL-A-L-2011-014" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Mark R. DePue. Springfield, Illinois: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ Tagge, George (September 4, 1965). "Political Lookout". Chicago Tribune. p. N4 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Representative Reapportionment: Legal Descriptions for Cook County Representative Districts Other Than Cook County". Illinois Blue Book 1967-1968. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. p. 274 & 327.
  8. ↑ Newman Jurgens, Nora. "Lee Daniels: the 'little guy' of the leaders". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. 12 (4): 8–12. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Philip, Benzin compete for suburb Senate seat". Chicago Tribune. March 7, 1974. p. N2 – via ProQuest.
  10. ↑ Mehler, Neil (January 3, 1974). "Independents, Walker mount challenge to organization". Chicago Tribune – via ProQuest.
  11. ↑ EV. "IL State Senate 40". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ Heise, Kenan (May 27, 1995). "Ex-attorney, Lawmaker Hubert J. "Bud" Loftus". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 9, 1988. Page 102.
  14. ↑ "Soden sworn in". The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). April 27, 2003.
  15. ↑ Illinois Blue Book 1973-1974 page 177
  16. ↑ Illinois Blue Book 1983-1984 pages 56-57
  17. ↑ Wheeler III, Charles N (November 30, 1992). "Redistricting '91: the World Series of Illinois politics". Illinois Issues. Northern Illinois University Libraries. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  18. ↑ Illinois Blue Book 1993-1994 pages 62-63
  19. ↑ "House District 45" (PDF). Northern Illinois University Center of Governmental Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  20. ↑ Dold, R. Bruce (August 18, 1995). "It's too late to cry over spilled milk - it may be hard for Democrats to swallow, but Republican legislators deserve the credit for cleaning up the mess in Chicago schools. Turns out Professor Pate took everyone to school". Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  21. ↑ Pearson, Rick (November 16, 1993). "Philip at head of the class in school deal". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  22. ↑ Shnay, Jerry (February 12, 1992). "New Airport Isn`t Hegewisch`s Wish". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  23. ↑ Sampson, Robert J. (June 1, 2013). Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226733883.
  24. ↑ Ibata, David (March 16, 1992). "Philip sets collision course on airport deals". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  25. ↑ Washburn, Gary (August 6, 1992). "Study flunks Calumet airport High costs may explain Daley retreat". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
  26. ↑ McKinney, Dave (December 11, 1999). "Ryan, Philip at odds over gun-law penalty". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  27. ↑ Carr, Rebecca (February 4, 1993). "Senate president plans legislation allowing execution in all murders". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Sox, DuPage batting stadium idea around". Chicago Tribune. January 29, 1985. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  29. ↑ Patterson, John (December 6, 2002). "What will Philip's legacy be? Some say state senator will be known for his blunt comments". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
  30. ↑ Former state Senate president takes the stand by Paul Meincke ABC7Chicago
  31. ↑ Document of political favors released at Fawell trial by Paul Meincke ABC7Chicago
  32. ↑ Former Illinois Senate President Testifies in Fawell Trial by Michelle Meyer March 5, 2003 Medill News Service
  33. ↑ Pat Quinn says Pate Phillip may be bending the rules by Jeff Fischer October 30, 2002 Medill News Service
  34. ↑ "Ryan, Philip at odds over gun-law penalty" by Dave McKinney December 11, 1999 Chicago Sun-Times
  35. ↑ "Illinois State Board of Elections". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  36. ↑ Ryan, George (ed.). "Vote for State Senators". Illinois Blue Book 1995-1996. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. p. 410. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  37. ↑ 2002 Illinois Blue Book. Senate President Archived December 22, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
  38. ↑ Pate Philip Illinois' new Senate president in the limelight Archived June 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine by Jennifer Halperin March 1993 Illinois Issues
  39. ↑ "Forest Preserve District of DuPage County - James 'Pate' Philip State Park". Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  40. ↑ "Former state Senate president recovering after bypass surgery" Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Tuesday, June 22, 2004.
  41. ↑ "Longtime DuPage County Republican leader James 'Pate' Philip Jr. dies". Daily Herald. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
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