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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, On September 7, 1969, United States Senator 
3Everett McKinley Dirksen died of complications
from lung 
4cancer; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Dirksen served the citizens of Illinois as 
6a United States Senator from 1951 to 1969 and as
a United 
7States Representative from 1933 to 1949; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, In 1950, Senator Dirksen was elected for the first 
9time to the United States Senate, defeating the sitting

10Majority Leader Scott Lucas of Havana; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Dirksen rose through the ranks of 
12leadership, eventually serving as U.S. Senate Minority
Leader 
13from 1959 until his death ten years later; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Dirksen played key roles in passing the 
15Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
and the 
16Open Housing Act of 1968, while never leading more than 36 
17Republicans in the Democrat-controlled
U.S. Senate; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a crowning 
19achievement during which Senator Dirksen
helped deliver 27 
20Republican votes to end a four-month filibuster, thereby 
 
 
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1allowing
the passage of this landmark legislation; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The legacy and leadership of Senator Dirksen 
3continues to live on through The Dirksen
Congressional Center 
4in his beloved hometown of Pekin; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Following Senator Dirksen's death, he lay in state 
6in the U.S. Capitol rotunda; he was returned to Pekin to be

7buried at Glendale Memorial Gardens; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, September 7, 2019 will be the 50th anniversary of 
9the death of Senator Dirksen; therefore, be it
  
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
11HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
12we honor the memory and lasting legacy of one of our
State's 
13favorite sons, United States Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen, 
14upon the 50th anniversary of his death; and be it further
  
 
15    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
16presented to the family of Senator Dirksen and to
The Dirksen 
17Congressional Center as a symbol of our respect and esteem.