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| John Cullerton | |
|---|---|
| Name | John Cullerton |
| Birth date | April 28, 1948 |
| Birth place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Attorney, Politician |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Pam Cullerton |
| Office | President of the Illinois Senate |
| Term start | January 14, 2009 |
| Term end | January 19, 2020 |
John Cullerton
John Cullerton is an American attorney and politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois General Assembly for more than four decades. He represented districts in Chicago in the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate, ultimately serving as President of the Illinois Senate from 2009 to 2020. His career intersected with major Illinois figures, institutions, and legislative battles involving pension reform, taxation, ethics reform, and redistricting.
Cullerton was born in Chicago and raised in a family active in civic affairs and the Democratic Party. He attended Tilden High School before enrolling at Loyola University Chicago where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He later attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law and received a Juris Doctor, entering the Illinois legal community and joining local bar associations that included practitioners connected to the Cook County judiciary and municipal law firms.
After law school, Cullerton began practicing law in Cook County, working on matters that brought him into contact with aldermen, county commissioners, and state legislators. He served as legal counsel to Chicago neighborhood organizations and engaged with policy debates at Chicago City Hall and the Illinois State Capitol. Early in his career he built alliances with figures in the Illinois Democratic Central Committee and with elected officials from the Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
Cullerton won election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1974 and served multiple terms representing Chicago-area constituencies. During his tenure in the House he served on committees that interacted with members from districts across Cook County, DuPage County and Chicago neighborhoods. He worked alongside legislators who would later hold statewide office, including attorneys general, secretaries of state, and governors from the Democratic Party and attended collaborative caucuses with members affiliated with labor unions such as the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Cullerton was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1991, representing Chicago-area districts that included parts of the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. In the Senate he served with colleagues from downstate delegations and suburban districts, engaging in negotiations with leaders from the Republican Party and with governors of both parties, including Jim Edgar, George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, Pat Quinn, and Bruce Rauner. His committee assignments covered judicial matters, appropriations, and transportation, bringing him into policy conflicts involving the Illinois Tollway Authority and the Metra board.
In 2009 Cullerton was elected President of the Illinois Senate by his Democratic colleagues, succeeding Eduardo Dávila-linked leadership trends and taking a prominent role during the administrations of Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner. As Senate President he presided over legislative sessions that confronted the aftermath of the Great Recession, high-profile federal investigations tied to the administration of Rod Blagojevich, and state-level budgetary crises. He worked with state treasurers and comptrollers including Judy Baar Topinka, Dan Hynes, Michael Frerichs, and Susana A. Mendoza on fiscal legislation and with law enforcement and prosecutors such as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on matters touching state oversight.
Cullerton championed legislation on issues including pension funding, tax policy, medical marijuana legalization, and ethics reform. He presided over debates that involved collaborations and disputes with governors Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner on budget impasses and with legislative leaders such as Mike Madigan and Tom Cross on redistricting and procedural rules. He supported measures to expand access to health care that involved stakeholders like the Illinois Department of Public Health and health systems including Rush University Medical Center and University of Illinois Hospital; he also backed legislation affecting higher education institutions such as University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northern Illinois University, and DePaul University.
Cullerton played a role in passing legislation to legalize medical cannabis in collaboration with advocacy groups and municipal leaders from Chicago Police Department precincts and suburban police departments. He backed ethics reforms and campaign finance changes that echoed proposals from reform advocates and watchdogs including the Better Government Association, while negotiating with labor leaders from the Illinois Federation of Teachers and business groups such as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce on economic development legislation. His tenure saw contentious votes on pension reform and tax extensions that attracted attention from credit rating agencies and municipal bond markets involved with the Illinois Finance Authority.
Cullerton is married to Pam Cullerton and is part of a family with several members active in public service and law. He has been recognized by civic organizations, bar associations, and advocacy groups in Chicago and across Illinois for his legislative service. After stepping down from the presidency of the Senate, his legacy was assessed in the context of long-running institutional dynamics in the Illinois General Assembly, comparisons with legislative leaders such as Michael Madigan and Dan Rostenkowski, and evolving debates over ethics, transparency, and fiscal sustainability involving state officials, municipal governments, and civic reformers.
Category:Members of the Illinois Senate Category:Members of the Illinois House of Representatives Category:People from Chicago Category:1948 births Category:Living people