This obituary is a part of a collection about individuals who have died within the coronavirus pandemic. Examine others right here.The Chicago poli
This obituary is a part of a collection about individuals who have died within the coronavirus pandemic. Examine others right here.
The Chicago political machine grew to become the catalyst for Richard Means’s authorized profession.
His begin didn’t come from a job with the machine’s boss, Mayor Richard J. Daley. It got here from his anger on the machine’s patronage system, which stored rebel candidates out of races. In a 50-year profession, Mr. Means grew to become one of many high election legal professionals in Illinois, dedicated to guiding native, state and nationwide candidates onto the poll and conserving them on the straight and slender election-law path.
Mr. Means died on Dec. 17 at a hospital in Oak Park, Unwell. He was 78. The trigger was Covid-19, his spouse, Anne Rooney, stated.
A lifelong Democrat, Mr. Means represented candidates for mayor, choose, alderman, state consultant and senator from all events, together with Republican, Libertarian and Inexperienced.
He consulted with presidential candidates, together with Ross Perot in 1992 and Joseph R. Biden in 2008, concerning poll entry in Illinois. He served because the election lawyer for Harold Washington’s profitable run for mayor of Chicago in 1983, which Mr. Means thought-about his greatest triumph.
Mr. Means was additionally decided to present minority voters a voice in authorities, and he labored professional bono for group organizations. In 2004, he organized a political motion committee for the American Center East Voters Alliance, which labored to strengthen the Arab-American vote.
William J. Haddad, a retired choose of the Circuit Court docket of Cook dinner County and chairman of that committee, known as Mr. Means “the pre-eminent election lawyer in Illinois.” In a posting on its web site, he recalled asking Mr. Means what he would cost to deal with the committee’s authorized work.
“He inquired of me, ‘Invoice, what’s your payment?’ To which I replied, ‘None,’” Mr. Haddad recounted. “Wealthy stated, ‘Nicely, I’ll take half of what you’re getting.’”
Richard Kenneth Means was born on Oct. 11, 1942, in Champaign, Unwell., the oldest of 4 youngsters of Josephine (Miller) Means, a homemaker and civic activist, and Kenneth Means, an insurance coverage agent.
He graduated from Jap New Mexico College in Portales, the place he majored in political science, sociology and psychology, and obtained his regulation diploma from the Pritzker Faculty of Legislation at Northwestern College in 1968. As an undergraduate, he spent a yr overseas on the College of Stockholm, the place he was uncovered to liberal concepts that helped type his political philosophy.
He joined the employees of Eugene McCarthy’s presidential marketing campaign in 1968 and was in Chicago throughout that yr’s Democratic Nationwide Conference, which erupted into clashes between the police and antiwar protesters.
In 1970 he helped defend a bunch of protesters who burned draft playing cards and got here to be often called the Chicago 15. He additionally represented conscientious objectors throughout the Vietnam Battle.
Within the 1970s Mr. Means grew to become an assistant state’s legal professional for Cook dinner County, the place he developed and managed an election fraud unit earlier than coming into personal apply.
Together with Ms. Rooney, he’s survived by two brothers, James and Dexter; a sister, Margaret Newman; two sons, Chris and Alex; a daughter, Annika Rothbaum; and three grandchildren. Two earlier marriages led to divorce.
Ms. Rooney stated her husband had spent plenty of time over the previous yr on Zoom, main weekly film nights and boards about how to make sure voting rights.
On his final birthday, motivated by Republican claims of potential election fraud, he hosted an “anti-tyranny” Zoom occasion for mates and colleagues. “He requested everybody who participated to do ‘one anti-tyranny factor in my honor,’” Ms. Rooney stated. “He was simply so dedicated to election integrity.”