Editing Harold Washington (section)

== Legislative career ==

=== Illinois House (1965–1976) ===
After the state legislature failed to reapportion districts every ten years as required by the census, the [[1964 Illinois House of Representatives election]] was held [[at-large]] to elect all 177 members of the [[Illinois House of Representatives]]. With the Republicans and Democrats each only running 118 candidates, independent voting groups attempted to slate candidates. The League of Negro Voters created a "Third Slate" of 59 candidates, announcing the creation of the slate on June 27, 1964. Shortly afterwards, Daley created a slate which included [[Adlai Stevenson III]] and Washington. The Third Slate was then thrown out by the Illinois Election Board because of "insufficient signatures" on the nominating petitions. In the election, Washington was elected as part of the winning Democratic slate of candidates.<ref name="levinsohn_98-99">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 98–99.</ref> Washington's years in the Illinois House were marked by tension with Democratic Party leadership. In 1967, he was ranked by the [[Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization|Independent Voters of Illinois]] (IVI) as the fourth-most independent legislator in the Illinois House and named Best Legislator of the Year. His defiance of the "idiot card", a sheet of paper that directed legislators' votes on every issue, attracted the attention of party leaders, who moved to remove Washington from his legislative position.<ref name="levinsohn_100-106" /> Daley often told Metcalfe to dump Washington as a candidate, but Metcalfe did not want to risk losing the 3rd Ward's Young Democrats, who were mostly aligned with Washington.{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|pp=50-52}}

Washington backed [[Renault Robinson]], a black police officer and one of the founders of the [[Afro-American Patrolmen's League]] (AAPL). The aim of the AAPL was to fight against the [[racism]] which was directed against minority officers by the rest of the predominantly white department. Soon after the creation of the group, Robinson was written up for minor infractions, suspended, reinstated, and then placed on the graveyard shift on a single block behind central police headquarters. Robinson approached Washington and asked him to fashion a bill which would authorize the creation of a civilian review board, consisting of both patrolmen and officers, to monitor [[police brutality]]. Both black independent and white liberal legislators refused to back the bill, afraid to challenge Daley's grip on the police force.{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|pp=50-52}}

After Washington announced that he would support the AAPL, Metcalfe refused to protect him from Daley. Washington believed that he had the support of [[Ralph Tyler Smith]], [[Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]. Instead, Smith criticized Washington and then allayed Daley's anger. In exchange for the party's backing, Washington would serve on the [[Chicago Crime Commission]], the group Daley tasked with investigating the AAPL's charges. The commission promptly found the AAPL's charges "unwarranted". An angry and humiliated Washington admitted that on the commission, he felt like Daley's "showcase ni***r".{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|pp=50-52}} In 1969, Daley removed Washington's name from the slate; only by the intervention of [[Cecil Partee]], a party loyalist, was Washington reinstated. The Democratic Party supported Jim Taylor, a former professional boxer, Streets and Sanitation worker, over Washington. With Partee and his own ward's support, Washington defeated Taylor.<ref name="levinsohn_100-106">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 100–106.</ref> His years in the House of Representatives were focused on becoming an advocate for black rights. He continued work on the Fair Housing Act, and worked to strengthen the state's Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). In addition, he worked on a state Civil Rights Act, which would strengthen employment and housing provisions in the federal [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. In his first session, all of his bills were sent to committee or tabled. Like his time in Roosevelt College, Washington relied on parliamentary tactics (e.g., writing amendments guaranteed to fail in a vote) to enable him to bargain for more concessions.<ref name="levinsohn_107-108">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 107–108.</ref>

Washington was accused of failing to file a tax return, even though the tax was paid.  He was found guilty and sentenced to 36 days in jail. (1971)<ref>{{cite news | work = Chicago Tribune | date = November 13, 2017 | title = Remembering Mayor Harold Washington's death, 30 years ago | first = Ron |last=Grossman | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-flash-harold-washington-death-1112-20171108-story.html|access-date=May 10, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511100129/https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-flash-harold-washington-death-1112-20171108-story.html|archive-date=May 11, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="History House">{{cite news | publisher = history.house.gov | title = Washington, Harold | author = United States House of Representatives | url = https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/23428}}</ref>

Washington also passed bills in honor of civil rights figures. He passed a resolution in honor of Metcalfe, his mentor. He also passed a resolution in honor of [[James J. Reeb]], a Unitarian minister who was beaten to death by a segregationist mob in [[Selma, Alabama]]. After the 1968 [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]], he introduced a series of bills which were aimed at making King's birthday a state holiday.<ref>Travis, "Harold," The Peoples Mayor, 81–82 ).</ref> The first was tabled and later vetoed. The third bill he introduced, which was passed and signed by Gov. Richard Ogilvie, made Dr. King's birthday a commemorative day observed by Illinois public schools.<ref>Travis, "Harold," The Peoples Mayor, 81–82.</ref> It was not until 1973 that Washington was able, with Partee's help in the Senate, to have the bill enacted and signed by the governor.<ref name="levinsohn_109-110">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 109–110.</ref>

====1975 speakership campaign====
Washington ran a largely symbolic campaign for Speaker. He only received votes from himself and from [[Lewis A. H. Caldwell]].<ref name="levinsohn_a"/> However, with a divided Democratic caucus, this was enough to help deny Daley-backed [[Clyde Choate]] the nomination, helping to throw it to [[William A. Redmond]] after 92 rounds of voting.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/>

Redmond had Washington appointed as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/>

==== Legal issues ====
In addition to Daley's strong-arm tactics, Washington's time in the Illinois House was also marred by problems with tax returns and allegations of not performing services owed to his clients. In her biography, Levinsohn questions whether the timing of Washington's legal troubles was politically motivated. In November 1966, Washington was re-elected to the House over Daley's strong objections; the first complaint was filed in 1964; the second was filed by January 1967.<ref name="levinsohn_143-144">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 143–144.</ref> A letter asking Washington to explain the matter was sent on January 5, 1967. After failing to respond to numerous summons and subpoenas, the commission recommend a five-year suspension on March 18, 1968. A formal response to the charges did not occur until July 10, 1969. In his reply, Washington said that "sometimes personal problems are enlarged out of proportion to the entire life picture at the time and the more important things are abandoned." In 1970, the Board of Managers of the [[Chicago Bar Association]] ruled that Washington's license be suspended for only one year, not the five recommended; the total amount in question between all six clients was $205.<ref name="levinsohn_146-152">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 146–152.</ref>

In 1971, Washington was charged with failure to file tax returns for four years, although the [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS) claimed to have evidence for nineteen years. Judge [[Joseph Sam Perry|Sam Perry]] noted that he was "disturbed that this case ever made it to my courtroom"—while Washington had paid his taxes, he ended up owing the government a total of $508 as a result of not filing his returns. Typically, the IRS handled such cases in civil court, or within its bureaucracy. Washington pleaded "no contest" and was sentenced to forty days in Cook County Jail, a $1,000 fine, and three years of probation.<ref name="levinsohn_154-156">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 154–156.</ref>{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|pp=178–180}}

===Illinois Senate (1976–1980)===
====Campaign for a seat on the Illinois Senate====
In 1975, Partee, now [[President of the Illinois Senate|President of the Senate]] and eligible for his pension, decided to retire from the Senate. Although Daley and Taylor declined at first, at Partee's insistence, Washington was ultimately slated for the seat and he received the party's support.<ref name="levinsohn_121-122">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 121–122.</ref> Daley had been displeased with Washington for having run a symbolic challenge in 1975 to Daley-backed [[Clyde Choate]] for Illinois Speaker of the House (Washington had only received two votes).<ref name="levinsohn_121-122"/> Additionally, he had ultimately helped push the vote towards Redmond as a compromise candidate.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/> The [[United Automobile Workers]] union, whose backing Washington obtained, were critical in persuading Daley to relent to back his candidacy.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/>

Washington defeated [[Anna Langford]] by nearly 2,000 votes in the Democratic primary.<ref name="levinsohn_a">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983)</ref> He went on to win the general election.

====Human Rights Act of 1980====
In the [[Illinois Senate]], Washington's main focus worked to pass 1980's Illinois Human Rights Act. Legislators rewrote all of the human rights laws in the state, restricting discrimination based on "race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service in connection with employment, real estate transactions, access to financial credit, and the availability of public accommodations."<ref name='ilcs'>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=2266&ChapAct=775%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B5%2F&ChapterID=64&ChapterName=HUMAN+RIGHTS&ActName=Illinois+Human+Rights+Act. |year=1970 |access-date=April 21, 2008 |author=Illinois General Assembly |title=(775 ILCS 5/) Illinois Human Rights Act.}}</ref> The bill's origins began in 1970 with the rewriting of the [[Illinois Constitution]]. The new constitution required all governmental agencies and departments to be reorganized for efficiency. Republican governor [[James R. Thompson]] reorganized low-profile departments before his re-election in 1978. In 1979, during the early stages of his second term and immediately in the aftermath of the largest vote for a gubernatorial candidate in the state's history, Thompson called for human rights reorganization.<ref name="levinsohn_130-131">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 130–131.</ref> The bill would consolidate and remove some agencies, eliminating a number of political jobs. Some Democratic legislators would oppose any measure backed by Washington, Thompson and Republican legislators.

For many years, human rights had been a campaign issue brought up and backed by Democrats. Thompson's staffers brought the bill to Washington and other black legislators before it was presented to the legislature. Washington made adjustments in anticipation of some legislators' concerns regarding the bill, before speaking for it in April 1979. On May 24, 1979, the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 59 to 1, with two voting present and six absent. The victory in the Senate was attributed by a Thompson staffer to Washington's "calm noncombative presentation".<ref name="levinsohn_132-134">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 132–134.</ref> However, the bill stalled in the House. State Representative [[Susan Catania]] insisted on attaching an amendment to allow women guarantees in the use of credit cards. This effort was assisted by [[Carol Moseley Braun]], a representative from [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] who would later go on to serve as a U.S. Senator. State Representatives Jim Taylor and Larry Bullock introduced over one hundred amendments, including the text of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, to try to stall the bill. With Catania's amendment, the bill passed the House, but the Senate refused to accept the amendment. On June 30, 1979, the legislature adjourned.<ref name="levinsohn_132-134" />

===U.S. House (1981–1983)===
In 1980, Washington was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in [[Illinois's 1st congressional district]]. He defeated incumbent Representative [[Bennett Stewart]] in the Democratic primary.<ref name="congbio">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000180 |title=Harold Washington |dictionary=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |author=United States Congress |date=n.d. |access-date=January 26, 2008}}</ref><ref name="resolution_08-R-09">{{cite web|url=http://www.cookctyclerk.com/upload/syno_pdf_745.PDF |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.cookctyclerk.com/upload/syno_pdf_745.PDF |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Resolution 08-R-09 (Honoring the life of Harold Washington) |author=Cook County Board of Commissioners |date=December 4, 2007 |access-date=January 26, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Anticipating that the Democratic Party would challenge him in his bid for re-nomination in 1982, Washington spent much of his first term campaigning for re-election, often travelling back to Chicago to campaign. Washington missed many House votes, an issue that would come up in his campaign for mayor in 1983.<ref name="levinsohn_166-172">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 166–172.</ref> Washington's major congressional accomplishment involved legislation to extend the [[Voting Rights Act]], legislation that opponents had argued was only necessary in an emergency. Others, including Congressman [[Henry Hyde]], had submitted amendments designed to seriously weaken the power of the Voting Rights Act.

Although he had been called "crazy" for railing in the House of Representatives against deep cuts to social programs, [[Associated Press]] political reporter Mike Robinson noted that Washington worked "quietly and thoughtfully" as the time came to pass the act. During hearings in the South regarding the Voting Rights Act, Washington asked questions that shed light on tactics used to prevent African Americans from voting (among them, closing registration early, literacy tests, and gerrymandering). After the amendments were submitted on the floor, Washington spoke from prepared speeches that avoided rhetoric and addressed the issues.  As a result, the amendments were defeated, and Congress passed the Voting Rights Act Extension.<ref name="levinsohn_172">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), p. 172.</ref> By the time Washington faced re-election in 1982, he had cemented his popularity in the 1st Congressional District. Jane Byrne could not find one serious candidate to run against Washington for his re-election campaign. He had collected 250,000 signatures to get on the ballot, although only 610 signatures (0.5% of the voters in the previous election) were required. With his re-election to Congress locked up, Washington turned his attention to the next Chicago mayoral election.<ref name="levinsohn_176">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), p. 176.</ref>