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Frank D. Savickas (May 14, 1935 – May 14, 2001) was an American politician who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1967 to 1993.

Early life

Savickas was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 14, 1935. He attended St. Rita and Harper High School. He went on to attend Wilson Junior College where he majored in business administration. He was the owner of Frank Savickas Insurance Agency. In 1966, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a Democrat. He was the first Lithuanian-American elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

Political career

Illinois Senate

In 1970, he defeated three term incumbent Senator John J. Lanigan in the Democratic wave of 1970, which saw Democrats take control of the Illinois Senate. He served in the Illinois Senate until his retirement in 1992. During his Senate tenure, he represented various areas of the southwest side of Chicago and the south suburbs including the Chicago neighborhoods of Marquette Park, Garfield Ridge and the suburb of Burbank. As a Senator, Savickas was an ally of the disability rights movement and pushed for proposals including special funding for handicapped children, various senior services and the legislation which gave the disabled guaranteed access to public education. He was an advocate for Midway International Airport and an ally of Mayor Richard J. Daley. During his second term in the Illinois Senate, Savickas was appointed Executive Secretary of the Chicago Park District.

He eventually rose to serve as Assistant Majority Leader under Philip J. Rock. During the 86th General Assembly, Savickas abstained from voting to reelect Rock as President of the Illinois Senate. Subsequently, he was stripped of his leadership position in the Democratic caucus. To protest the loss of his position, he and his longtime ally Jeremiah E. Joyce joined the Republican caucus under Pate Philip. This gave the Republicans a majority to hold up the business of the Senate. The stalemate ended when Savickas was given a newly created leadership position. The key Republican proposals during the stalemate, the repeal of the three fifths rule and the removal of Howard W. Carroll from the Appropriations Committee, were rejected.

In the Republican controlled 1990 redistricting, Savickas, along with Jeremiah E. Joyce and Howard B. Brookins Sr., was drawn into the new 15th district. Under this map, the 15th became a minority-majority district. Savickas opted to establish residency in the neighboring 11th district. However, after Gary LaPaille, the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 11th district, Savickas chose to retire.

He was succeeded in the 15th by State Representative Bill Shaw while LaPaille was elected in the 11th district.

Democratic Committeeman

In 1974, he was elected the Democratic Committeeman for Chicago's 15th ward. As Committeeman, he endorsed Jane Byrne in the 1983 Democratic primary for Mayor of Chicago. In his majority African-American ward Byrne lost to Harold Washington with the vote going strictly down racial lines. In 1986, he quietly stepped down as Democratic Committeeman for the 15th ward, as he likely would have lost reelection in the now-African American majority ward.

Personal life

He and his wife Adrienne Savickas, nee Shenoha, had three children, Michael, Linda and Sharon. Adrienne left him in 1963, and she later passed away in 1971 at age 35. Savickas then went on to marry JoAnne Cortez twice, and both marriages ended in divorce, with no children born of the unions. In 1986, he would later marry Pamela Blasco. This marriage also produced no children.

In 1990, his son Michael ("Big Roach") Savickas was convicted in the killing of Thomas Vinnicky and sentenced to twenty eight years in prison.

After retiring, he moved to Venice, Florida where he died on his 66th birthday.

References

1. ^ "People and News". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. January 1975. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
2. 'Illinois Blue Book 1991-1992, Biographical Sketch of Frank D. Savickas, pg. 82
3. ^ "Senate Resolution 0175". Illinois General Assembly. May 14, 2001.
4. ^ Frank D. Savickas, 66-Legislator known for independence
5. ^ "83rd General Assembly: Some Of The Key Members Serving You". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. March 1983. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
6. Murphy, Peter M. (January 1989). "Legal & Legislative Scene: 86th General Assembly Convenes". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
7. Wheeler III, Charles N. (June 1989). "Was this Nebraska?". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
8. Hardy, Thomas (October 1, 1991). "Top Democrats To Be Squeezed By Republican Remap". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
9. Fitzgerald, Jay (February 1992). "Gary LaPaille: Madigan's 'no' man and state Democratic party chairman". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
10. 'Illinois Blue Book 1993-1994, Biographical Sketch of Gary LaPaille, pg. 76
11. 'Illinois Blue Book 1993-1994, Biographical Sketch of William Shaw, pg. 80
12. Fremon, David K. (October 22, 1988). Chicago Politics Ward by Ward. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 113. ISBN 0-253-31344-9.
13. Dold, R. Bruce (March 6, 1988). "Forget the glitz, the real blitz is for committeemen". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
14. Fremon, David K. (October 22, 1988). Chicago Politics Ward by Ward. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 110. ISBN 0-253-31344-9.

• 1935 births
• 2001 deaths
• Politicians from Chicago
• American people of Lithuanian descent
• Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Democratic Party Illinois state senators
• 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly