Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
A: Bill Stratton. Q: I assume you knew him pretty well, too. A: Oh, I knew him very well, Q: What type of person was he? A: I always got along with Bill Stratton, always. I remember the first session I was there. I had three bills that I had passed and I went in to talk to him and he had an assistant with him, a fellow we called "Smokey" Downey. I was just delighted that the governor signed all three of my bills. Q: Oh? What were those bills? Do you recall? A: (chuckles) I knew you were going to ask me that. (pause) One of them had to do with a closer inspection of casualty insurance companies. Prior to that time a casualty campany could open up in Illinois and operate far two years before they were audited very closely by the state. And many of them had just come in and milked the public and took the money the first eighteen months and then phased out the last six and not fulfilled their claims and not paid off their claims and so forth. So the one bill changed that. We had a lot of people, in my community particularly, who had bought insurance from companies and had not gotten service and had not gotten claims honored. The other two--you know, I don't remember. (chuckles) I really don't remember what they were. Q: Do you recall how that bill came up, the one on the casualty insurance companies ? A: Well, it just was obvious to me that there had been a lot of reason for having a bill like that, so that you could get rid of those fly-by-night operators. Q: What were the mechanics of preparation of the bill to get . . . A: Well, you would get your idea together and you would go into the Legislative Reference Bureau and there were lawyers in that bureau who would draw the bill in the language that would be most acceptable for statutory enactment. You would introduce your bill, take it to committee, and you would testify on it or you would have other people to testify for it. Get the favorable vote nut of the committee, get it back to the floor and resist any amendments that you would feel would not be palatable and get it passed in that house and then you would go to the second house and do the same thing. Q: Did you have any particular problem with that bill, that first one? A: Well, I guess I did have a little bit at first--1'm trying to remember who was against it. But I got it passed. You know, you've opened up a whole new subject to me. I've had so much
legislation, I think one day what I would like to do is go down to Springfield and just get somebody to start in 1957 and give me a list of all the bills I've personally handled and those that I've been a big supporter of. So many of them now, it's just--I can't remember them all. There are thousands. There's one way I can do that. My wife has probably got about fifteen scrapbooks for me. She used to keep all that information and I could probably go through those scrapbooks and churn out a lot of the high points. Because, for example, when I first went to the legislature, I felt that people in the community did not know enough about what the legislative process was about. And so I wrote a series of articles for the Chicago Defender, the local paper out our way, on the legislative process, you know. In a very elementary kind of way, so the people could understand, you know, what we were about and how it's done and so forth. Gradually, the articles became more sophisticated as I discussed the intricacies and nuances of the pending legislation. Q: Did you have any other activities like that to keep the people informed as to what was going on or what you felt was important? A: In later years, I would get out a little three or four page tome about what my activities had been, highlights of the legislative session. Q: And was that published by the Defender? A: No, no. That was published by me personally. We would just get it out to everybody in the district. SESSION 4, TAPE 4, SIDE 1 Q: Sir, I got a little bit ahead of the chronology of things yesterday and I would like to go back and pick up two primary subjects today. First of all I would like to know something about your wife and her family background, and then secondly I would like to go back into your political base, the ward and the early days of that, if that's all right, sir. A: That's okay. Q: When was your wife born, sir? A: My wife was born in 1927. May 10. Q: And your wife's name is . . . A: Paris, first name. Middle name, Angelina. Q: And her maiden name was Bradley. A: Bradley.
- Page 29 and 30: a debate on , "What is most destruc
- Page 31 and 32: somebody or something foul. So, had
- Page 33 and 34: when prohibition was over and they
- Page 35 and 36: A: Mixed crews, yes. Q: Do you reme
- Page 37 and 38: to her for fear she wouldn't pay me
- Page 39 and 40: lawyer who became a judge there. He
- Page 41 and 42: A: (pause) I don't know. I think pr
- Page 43 and 44: CHARLES CECIL AND BESSIE DUPREE PAR
- Page 45 and 46: COURTESV OF BESSIE D. IVY CECIL PAR
- Page 47 and 48: CORNEAL DAVIS (L) AND CEClL PARTEE.
- Page 49 and 50: A: Beautiful. I stayed in the dormi
- Page 51 and 52: A: I didn't know any of them until
- Page 53 and 54: A: Well, just like going out for th
- Page 55 and 56: 4 1 SESSION 3, TAPE 3, SIDE 1 Q: I
- Page 57 and 58: yourself and so forth. Whereas, in
- Page 59 and 60: A: Yes, I remember a fellow by the
- Page 61 and 62: six inches, into my leg. And just m
- Page 63 and 64: Q: And you're still in touch with t
- Page 65 and 66: A: But they said, "You can go somew
- Page 67 and 68: Q: How did you get back and forth?
- Page 69 and 70: just on the weekend which was a lot
- Page 71 and 72: A: Well, I was there for about a ye
- Page 73 and 74: old fellow told me that he's from t
- Page 75 and 76: We tried to get a decision between
- Page 77 and 78: 63 Abraham Lincoln Hotel and we wer
- Page 79: Q: That had already finished? A: No
- Page 83 and 84: A: No, that was about two years bef
- Page 85 and 86: A: Yes. q: Did she continue active
- Page 87 and 88: Q: Was this in replacement of Mr. C
- Page 89 and 90: Filipino or some man may be married
- Page 91 and 92: deal of controversy about them. Q:
- Page 93 and 94: well paying jobs but they had to do
- Page 95 and 96: joined other organizations for the
- Page 97 and 98: A: Generally just before an electio
- Page 99 and 100: A: No, I don't think we had opposit
- Page 101 and 102: where they paid you far two years t
- Page 103 and 104: BLACK DEMOCRATS IN THE 77TH ILLINOI
- Page 105 and 106: CECIL PARTEE AT WORK IN THE SENATE
- Page 107 and 108: A: No, it was the Legislative Refer
- Page 109 and 110: Q: Well! (laughter) A: Yes, didn't
- Page 111 and 112: esearch if you needed it? A: Bill I
- Page 113 and 114: started from nothing. Q: Did that o
- Page 115 and 116: A: Well, not specifically as to the
- Page 117 and 118: for that. About 1968, Chicago start
- Page 119 and 120: he was there. We joined him in 1967
- Page 121 and 122: years and for many many years it fa
- Page 123 and 124: of that nature. But other than that
- Page 125 and 126: A: No, I do not. Q: Why were yau co
- Page 127 and 128: the word I seek now is . . . quota
- Page 129 and 130: the 1965 Civil Rights Act at the fe
legislation, I think one day what I would like to do is go down to <strong>Springfield</strong><br />
and just get somebody to start in 1957 and give me a list <strong>of</strong> all the bills<br />
I've personally handled and those that I've been a big supporter <strong>of</strong>. So many<br />
<strong>of</strong> them now, it's just--I can't remember them all. There are thousands.<br />
There's one way I can do that. My wife has probably got about fifteen scrapbooks<br />
for me. She used to keep all that information and I could probably go<br />
through those scrapbooks and churn out a lot <strong>of</strong> the high points. Because,<br />
for example, when I first went to the legislature, I felt that people in the<br />
community did not know enough about what the legislative process was about.<br />
And so I wrote a series <strong>of</strong> articles for the Chicago Defender, the local paper<br />
out our way, on the legislative process, you know. In a very elementary kind<br />
<strong>of</strong> way, so the people could understand, you know, what we were about and how<br />
it's done and so forth. Gradually, the articles became more sophisticated as<br />
I discussed the intricacies and nuances <strong>of</strong> the pending legislation.<br />
Q: Did you have any other activities like that to keep the people informed as<br />
to what was going on or what you felt was important?<br />
A: In later years, I would get out a little three or four page tome about what<br />
my activities had been, highlights <strong>of</strong> the legislative session.<br />
Q: And was that published by the Defender?<br />
A: No, no. That was published by me personally. We would just get it out to<br />
everybody in the district.<br />
SESSION 4, TAPE 4, SIDE 1<br />
Q: Sir, I got a little bit ahead <strong>of</strong> the chronology <strong>of</strong> things yesterday and<br />
I would like to go back and pick up two primary subjects today. First <strong>of</strong> all<br />
I would like to know something about your wife and her family background, and<br />
then secondly I would like to go back into your political base, the ward and<br />
the early days <strong>of</strong> that, if that's all right, sir.<br />
A: That's okay.<br />
Q: When was your wife born, sir?<br />
A: My wife was born in 1927. May 10.<br />
Q: And your wife's name is . . .<br />
A: Paris, first name. Middle name, Angelina.<br />
Q: And her maiden name was Bradley.<br />
A: Bradley.
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