Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Q: Is her mother still living? A: Her mother still is alive, yes. Q: Still here in Chicago, I guess. A: Yes. Q: All right, sir. Let's see, when was it that you asked for the precinct committeeman position? What year? A: Probably the fall of 1947. Q: When did you first think that this might be a good move to make? A: Well, I suppose right after I got out of law school. I started reading some books about how to build a law practice and one of the statements that kept recurring was that a young lawyer should be a "joiner," you should join as many organizations as you felt was necessary to get to know some people and get some exposure to the population. And I suppose that's probably the motivation, I saw this joining an organization as being something in that vein. 1 think I ought to point out that when I started joining various organizations, including the political organization, 1 had no idea of ever going into politics. A: It was a matter of just trying to get to know some people. Q: I see, yes. (pause) Now, were you living in the precinct that was assigned you at that time? A: Yes, I was. 0: How was it decided that you would have that precinct? A: Well, T suppose nobody else wanted it, frankly. It had been an overwhelmingly Republican precinct in the election before that and I guess they were just pretty glad to get somebody who wanted to take it. They had snmeane there who was just sort of there as a part-time person, to help them out a little bit, but they never had anyone just assigned to it who had rhe same kind of interest I had in developing it. So, it was just sort of a natural that they would give me that precinct. Q: Who was the Republican precinct committeeman when you . . . A: It was a woman by the name of Viola Montoya. She incidently was one of the best Republican precinct captains in the City of Chicago. Q: a, is that right?
A: Yes. q: Did she continue active after you . . . A: Very much so; very, very active. A very hard worker and a very difficult adversary. Q: Did you get to know her quite well? A: I got to know her quite well. Q: In what way was she a difficult adversary? A: Well, the lady's dead and I don't want to say anything unkind about her, but I can remember once putting some literature in a mailbox in an entrance where there were six families, Five of them were home that I talked to and one was not there. I left the literature for the one family and I came back to see if they had gotten home, to go to talk to them, and she was taking the literature out of the box, tearing it up. I suggested to her that I thought that was improper and she went into a rage and said some things to me, I think, calculated to make me angry, to cause me to strike her or something. I think she thought that that would be something that she could use against me. I just told her that I wasn't going to do anything like that but that I didn't appreciate it. She was tough; she was a tough old gal. Q: Was she an older person? A: Well, no, she was older than T was but I guess--at that time, I was twentythree or four years old, something like that. She was about, probably, thirty-five or forty, something like that. Q: And she had been there for quite some time then, I guess. A: Yes, quite some time. Q: What was the social make-up of the precinct? A: Well, it was all black and there were middle to middle-upper class people. Q: What type homes were mostly in this area? A: Mostly two-flat buildings and owner-occupied. There were a few multiple apartment buildings, like some twelves or some sixteens, but basically and fundamentally they were mastly two-flat, home-owner. Q: What was your first encounter with Mrs. Montoya? A: Well, I suppose maybe the first memorable encounter was that situation I have just described to you. She was a person who was very conscientious for her party. The thing that used to trouble me, there was always some sort of a little nasty kind of statement that she would make, about either the party
- 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 and 80: Q: That had already finished? A: No
- Page 81 and 82: legislation, I think one day what I
- Page 83: A: No, that was about two years bef
- 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
- Page 131 and 132: matter of fact--with the head of th
- Page 133 and 134: served or rehabilitated as well as
A: Yes.<br />
q: Did she continue active after you . . .<br />
A: Very much so; very, very active. A very hard worker and a very difficult<br />
adversary.<br />
Q: Did you get to know her quite well?<br />
A: I got to know her quite well.<br />
Q: In what way was she a difficult adversary?<br />
A: Well, the lady's dead and I don't want to say anything unkind about her,<br />
but I can remember once putting some literature in a mailbox in an entrance<br />
where there were six families, Five <strong>of</strong> them were home that I talked to and<br />
one was not there. I left the literature for the one family and I came back<br />
to see if they had gotten home, to go to talk to them, and she was taking the<br />
literature out <strong>of</strong> the box, tearing it up. I suggested to her that I thought<br />
that was improper and she went into a rage and said some things to me, I<br />
think, calculated to make me angry, to cause me to strike her or something. I<br />
think she thought that that would be something that she could use against me.<br />
I just told her that I wasn't going to do anything like that but that I didn't<br />
appreciate it. She was tough; she was a tough old gal.<br />
Q: Was she an older person?<br />
A: Well, no, she was older than T was but I guess--at that time, I was twentythree<br />
or four years old, something like that. She was about, probably,<br />
thirty-five or forty, something like that.<br />
Q: And she had been there for quite some time then, I guess.<br />
A: Yes, quite some time.<br />
Q: What was the social make-up <strong>of</strong> the precinct?<br />
A: Well, it was all black and there were middle to middle-upper class people.<br />
Q: What type homes were mostly in this area?<br />
A: Mostly two-flat buildings and owner-occupied. There were a few multiple<br />
apartment buildings, like some twelves or some sixteens, but basically and<br />
fundamentally they were mastly two-flat, home-owner.<br />
Q: What was your first encounter with Mrs. Montoya?<br />
A: Well, I suppose maybe the first memorable encounter was that situation I<br />
have just described to you. She was a person who was very conscientious for<br />
her party. The thing that used to trouble me, there was always some sort <strong>of</strong><br />
a little nasty kind <strong>of</strong> statement that she would make, about either the party
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