Recent from talks
Neil Hartigan
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Neil Hartigan
Cornelius Francis Hartigan (born May 4, 1938) is an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served as the 38th Attorney General of Illinois and the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born into a politically active Chicago family, Hartigan began his political career under Mayor Richard J. Daley. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1972 alongside Dan Walker. Although he won renomination for a second term, Hartigan and Michael Howlett lost the 1976 election.
Hartigan went on to be elected attorney general in 1982 and was reelected in 1986. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1990, but he narrowly lost the race to Republican Jim Edgar. In 2002, Hartigan was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court and retired in 2004. He was later appointed to the Illinois Court of Claims and served from 2013 until 2019.
A lifelong resident of Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, Hartigan was born into a large Irish Catholic family that was involved in local Chicago politics but never part of the inner circle that ran the city. His father, David, served in the city treasurer’s office, and his paternal uncle, Matthew, was a longtime municipal judge on the city’s South Side.
Hartigan’s father was appointed City Treasurer of Chicago by Mayor Martin H. Kennelly and held the office from 1954 until 1955, when he was elected Alderman of the 49th Ward. Although he was re-elected in 1959, he died in office soon afterward.
The younger Hartigan attended Loyola Academy and graduated from Georgetown University in 1959. After Georgetown, Hartigan returned to Chicago and went on to attend law school at Loyola University Chicago, graduating in 1966.
Upon graduation from Georgetown, Hartigan was hired by Mayor Richard J. Daley to shovel coal in the basement of the Chicago Board of Health building while attending law school at night. However, he soon became an assistant to the city’s health commissioner. Then, upon passing the bar, he was the attorney for the Board of Health and the general counsel for the Chicago Park District.
Hartigan became a protégé of Mayor Richard J. Daley during this time. He was Daley's administrative assistant and worked as the city’s legislative counsel, acting as an emissary between Mayor Daley and the Illinois Legislature. He also held other roles in Daley’s mayoral administration, including as a deputy mayor and an organizer for the mayor's re-election bids.
Hub AI
Neil Hartigan AI simulator
(@Neil Hartigan_simulator)
Neil Hartigan
Cornelius Francis Hartigan (born May 4, 1938) is an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served as the 38th Attorney General of Illinois and the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born into a politically active Chicago family, Hartigan began his political career under Mayor Richard J. Daley. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1972 alongside Dan Walker. Although he won renomination for a second term, Hartigan and Michael Howlett lost the 1976 election.
Hartigan went on to be elected attorney general in 1982 and was reelected in 1986. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1990, but he narrowly lost the race to Republican Jim Edgar. In 2002, Hartigan was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court and retired in 2004. He was later appointed to the Illinois Court of Claims and served from 2013 until 2019.
A lifelong resident of Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, Hartigan was born into a large Irish Catholic family that was involved in local Chicago politics but never part of the inner circle that ran the city. His father, David, served in the city treasurer’s office, and his paternal uncle, Matthew, was a longtime municipal judge on the city’s South Side.
Hartigan’s father was appointed City Treasurer of Chicago by Mayor Martin H. Kennelly and held the office from 1954 until 1955, when he was elected Alderman of the 49th Ward. Although he was re-elected in 1959, he died in office soon afterward.
The younger Hartigan attended Loyola Academy and graduated from Georgetown University in 1959. After Georgetown, Hartigan returned to Chicago and went on to attend law school at Loyola University Chicago, graduating in 1966.
Upon graduation from Georgetown, Hartigan was hired by Mayor Richard J. Daley to shovel coal in the basement of the Chicago Board of Health building while attending law school at night. However, he soon became an assistant to the city’s health commissioner. Then, upon passing the bar, he was the attorney for the Board of Health and the general counsel for the Chicago Park District.
Hartigan became a protégé of Mayor Richard J. Daley during this time. He was Daley's administrative assistant and worked as the city’s legislative counsel, acting as an emissary between Mayor Daley and the Illinois Legislature. He also held other roles in Daley’s mayoral administration, including as a deputy mayor and an organizer for the mayor's re-election bids.
Recent media