Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
or the candidates or about me, that wasn't so. I had not really been accustomed to that kind of thing but I just let it roll off me like water off a duck's back and went ahead and did my own job. Q: You started in 1947, so the first big election to be worked was the 1948 election, I guess. A: That's true. q: Yes. And up until that time you say that most of the voting had been Republican? A: Very heavily Republican in that precinct, yes. Q: What happened in the 1948 election? A: In the 1948 election, we won with Truman two-to-one in that precinct. Q: And you think it was largely due to your getting out and knowing people and talking to them? A: I would be unfair to myself if I didn't say that I had done a damq good job in there. Q; Did it continue--well, it did continue Democratic from that point on. Did it get stronger? A: Became increasingly more Democratic as each election went on. Q: How long did you serve as the precinct committeeman? A: Until . . . 01, at least for the next ten years, T'm sure. Q: (pause) Then you did take over the ward at . . . A: Became the cormnitteeman in January of 1971. Q: In 1971. What did you do between 1957 and 1971, then? A: I was president of the ward organization. Worked in the office generally. Q: And what type of work was that: then? A: Well, talking to the other captains and supervising and helping, and making speeches throughout the ward. Q: Did you conduct a training program or was that . . . A: I was a part of that production on the training program, yes.
Q: Was this in replacement of Mr. Campbell? A: No, Mr. Campbell--when I became committeeman? Q: Yes. A: Yes, Mr. Campbell died in December of 1970. December 31, 1970. And I was made acting ward committeeman as of the eighth or tenth of January. A: Yes. Q: So, president of the organization, how does that relate to the committeeman position? A: Well, the president of the organization is in charge of the programs as they develop within the ward. When the candidates would come out, I would have the opportunity to introduce them, to talk to the ward about various kinds of current events to keep them informed so they could talk to their peaple from a vantage point of knowledge and understanding of the issues which arose on a day-to-day basis. So whenever we had the meetings, I would call the meeting to order and discuss various things and, of course, the committeeman would come out and he would discuss them also. But: I was sort of preliminary, Q: How often did you have these meetings? A: Well, we usually met a couple of times a month. There was about two meetings a month. In election time, perhaps, sometimes even more often. Q: And where were these meetings held? A: We had a ward headquarters. Initially, it was at 59th and State Street and then we later moved over to 32% East Garfield Boulevard at a storefront that was. fixed up for an office for the committeeman and a meeting hall for the precinct committeemen, or captains as we call them in Chicago. Q: Did you have an office in . . . A: Never did have an office in there, no. Q: So you operated somewhat out of your own office then, your law office? A: No, I operated out of that headquarters but I didn't have any specific office assigned to me there. There were always a couple of offices that anybody could use in case they wanted to have meetings or something of that sort. But I didn't have a specific office where I went there every day. Q: When you first started out as a precinct committeeman, how closely did you work with the other precinct captains?
- 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 and 84: A: No, that was about two years bef
- Page 85: A: Yes. q: Did she continue active
- 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
or the candidates or about me, that wasn't so. I had not really been accustomed<br />
to that kind <strong>of</strong> thing but I just let it roll <strong>of</strong>f me like water <strong>of</strong>f a<br />
duck's back and went ahead and did my own job.<br />
Q: You started in 1947, so the first big election to be worked was the 1948<br />
election, I guess.<br />
A: That's true.<br />
q: Yes. And up until that time you say that most <strong>of</strong> the voting had been<br />
Republican?<br />
A: Very heavily Republican in that precinct, yes.<br />
Q: What happened in the 1948 election?<br />
A: In the 1948 election, we won with Truman two-to-one in that precinct.<br />
Q: And you think it was largely due to your getting out and knowing people<br />
and talking to them?<br />
A: I would be unfair to myself if I didn't say that I had done a damq good<br />
job in there.<br />
Q; Did it continue--well, it did continue Democratic from that point on. Did<br />
it get stronger?<br />
A: Became increasingly more Democratic as each election went on.<br />
Q: How long did you serve as the precinct committeeman?<br />
A: Until . . . 01, at least for the next ten years, T'm sure.<br />
Q: (pause) Then you did take over the ward at . . .<br />
A: Became the cormnitteeman in January <strong>of</strong> 1971.<br />
Q: In 1971. What did you do between 1957 and 1971, then?<br />
A: I was president <strong>of</strong> the ward organization. Worked in the <strong>of</strong>fice generally.<br />
Q: And what type <strong>of</strong> work was that: then?<br />
A: Well, talking to the other captains and supervising and helping, and making<br />
speeches throughout the ward.<br />
Q: Did you conduct a training program or was that . . .<br />
A: I was a part <strong>of</strong> that production on the training program, yes.
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