James Philip
Encyclopedia
James "Pate" Philip is a Republican
from Wood Dale, Illinois
. Philip was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1966 to 1975, and the Illinois Senate
from 1975 until his retirement in 2003. He was known as a highly influential politician in the Illinois state legislature, both for the projects that he successfully passed and blocked in state government and for his often-blunt comments on some issues. Richard S. Williamson
, President Ronald Reagan
's chief of intergovernmental affairs, and former Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party
, deemed Pate "one of the most important Republicans in the Midwest".
veteran and served from 1950 to 1953. He was a district sales manager for Pepperidge Farm
for 38 years and retired in 1992. He is married to Nancy and they have four children. James "Pate" Philip State Park, located in DuPage County, is named after Philip. Philip received a heart bypass
at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in June 2004. Philip's stepson Randy Ramey
was appointed to the Illinois House in 2005.
removed previous money-wasting reformers from their posts and closed a $1.4 billion deficit over four years without the need to request more state funding. The legislative reforms also challenged the long-standing assertion from Philip's opponents (notably, the Chicago Teachers Union) that Philip harbored a strong dislike for Chicago and its school system.
's proposal for an airport near Lake Calumet
in the early 1990s. On May 21, 1992, the Illinois Senate defeated a bill to endorse an agreement between Daley and Illinois governor Jim Edgar
, 24-23. Philip led a group of Republicans in arguing that the Lake Calumet airport would be far more expensive and take more time to build than one in Peotone
, then regarded as an alternate site for the airport. The new airport would have replaced Midway Airport
, which was falling into disrepair. As a result of the vote, in 1996 Mayor Daley announced the Midway Airport Terminal Development Program.
Philip's legislative stances on crime have been mixed. With backing from the gun lobby representing downstate hunters, Philip fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor. However, he also fought to expand the death penalty to apply to all convicted murderers. The proposed legislation he endorsed also proposed mandatory 10–year prison sentences with no chance of parole for using firearms in a "safe retail zone", defined as shopping malls, strip malls and commercial districts with more than three stores. Philip expressed a preference for expanding this portion of the law to all gun-related crimes, not just safe retail zones. State's attorneys in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area agreed with Philip's stance on gun crimes, but were mixed with regards to changes in the death penalty.
In June 1984, Philip, then the Republican minority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
, helped push through legislation authorizing the construction of a tollway, Interstate 355
, then referred to as simply the DuPage Tollway.
, labeled him as both holding and vocally expressing racial prejudice. However, Philip himself has said that he is not racist, saying "When you criticize minorities, whether you're right or wrong, their reaction is it's a racist remark."
During the corruption trial of former Gov. George Ryan
's top aide Scott Fawell, "Pate" Philip was called as a witness. Prosecutors asked about Philip's 50 year high school reunion--a 1999 $15,000 bash at Navy Pier set up by Scott Fawell. Philip said he never asked for any special treatment, but was happily surprised by it. It was only after the Chicago Sun-Times
revealed the party that Philip paid for it out of his campaign fund.
Also during the trial, prosecuters released a document including ten pages of favors granted to former Senate President Pate Philip.
Philip spoke with Larry Hall, who wore a hidden recorder and taped the conversations as a part of an undercover government investigation. Philip agreed to try to get Hall's sister a job with the secretary of state's office in exchange for Hall's fundraising activities. Prosecutors allege Hall gave $1,400 to Philip's campaign shortly after the conversation.
Philip has been criticized for looking into the voter histories of students applying for legislative scholarships, which are funded by the taxpayers of Illinois. In 2001, all five of Philip's scholarships went to Republican primary voters or to students whose parents voted Republican, and the same trend was observed over the prior five years.
Philip, with backing from the gun lobby, fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
from Wood Dale, Illinois
Wood Dale, Illinois
Wood Dale is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,535 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood Dale is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
. Philip was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1966 to 1975, and the Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
from 1975 until his retirement in 2003. He was known as a highly influential politician in the Illinois state legislature, both for the projects that he successfully passed and blocked in state government and for his often-blunt comments on some issues. Richard S. Williamson
Richard S. Williamson
Richard Salisbury Williamson is an American lawyer, diplomat and pedagogue. He currently serves as Special Envoy to Sudan as of January 7, 2008. Williamson is a partner at Winston & Strawn and was also Thomas J...
, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's chief of intergovernmental affairs, and former Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party
Illinois Republican Party
The Illinois Republican Party is the state-level affiliate of the Republican Party in Illinois. Since August 20, 2009, it has been chaired by Pat Brady...
, deemed Pate "one of the most important Republicans in the Midwest".
Background
Philip is a United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran and served from 1950 to 1953. He was a district sales manager for Pepperidge Farm
Pepperidge Farm
Pepperidge Farm is a commercial bakery in the U.S. founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which in turn was named for the pepperidge tree, Nyssa sylvatica. Since 1961, the company has been owned by the Campbell Soup Company...
for 38 years and retired in 1992. He is married to Nancy and they have four children. James "Pate" Philip State Park, located in DuPage County, is named after Philip. Philip received a heart bypass
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in June 2004. Philip's stepson Randy Ramey
Harry R. Ramey, Jr.
Harry "Randy" Ramey, Jr. is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 55th district. Ramey ran for the 55th district in 2002, but was defeated in the Republican primary by John J. Millner. Ramey was appointed in 2005 and was elected in 2006, with 39% of the vote...
was appointed to the Illinois House in 2005.
Legislative career
Philip was chosen as the Illinois Senate Minority Leader in 1981 after the death of Dr. David C. Shapiro. Philip had been the assistant minority leader since 1979. In January 1993, after the Republicans gained a majority in the Illinois Senate, he was elected the Illinois Senate Majority Leader and remained in that role until 2003 when Democrats became the majority. He retired shortly after his unopposed reelection and was replaced by Ray Soden.Chicago school reform
Philip's oft-repeated pronunciations that giving more money to the Chicago public school systems would be like "pouring money down a rat-hole" helped provide the impetus for what Philip has said is one of his most important accomplishments—instituting a series of reforms that removed power from school boards rife with corruption. The major beneficiary of these reforms was Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, who with Chief Executive Officer of Schools Paul VallasPaul Vallas
Paul Gust Vallas is the superintendent of the Recovery School District of Louisiana, and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and the School District of Philadelphia....
removed previous money-wasting reformers from their posts and closed a $1.4 billion deficit over four years without the need to request more state funding. The legislative reforms also challenged the long-standing assertion from Philip's opponents (notably, the Chicago Teachers Union) that Philip harbored a strong dislike for Chicago and its school system.
Other achievements
James Philip is credited for blocking Chicago mayor Richard M. DaleyRichard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
's proposal for an airport near Lake Calumet
Lake Calumet
Lake Calumet is the largest body of water within the city of Chicago. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake draining into Lake Michigan, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay...
in the early 1990s. On May 21, 1992, the Illinois Senate defeated a bill to endorse an agreement between Daley and Illinois governor Jim Edgar
Jim Edgar
James Edgar is an American politician who was the 38th Governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999 and Illinois Secretary of State from 1981 to 1991. As a moderate Republican in a largely blue-leaning state, Edgar was a popular and successful governor, leaving office with high approval ratings...
, 24-23. Philip led a group of Republicans in arguing that the Lake Calumet airport would be far more expensive and take more time to build than one in Peotone
Peotone, Illinois
Peotone is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,385 at the 2000 census. The city is about south of Chicago...
, then regarded as an alternate site for the airport. The new airport would have replaced Midway Airport
Midway Airport
Chicago Midway International Airport , also known simply as Midway Airport or Midway, is an airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's southwest side, eight miles from Chicago's Loop...
, which was falling into disrepair. As a result of the vote, in 1996 Mayor Daley announced the Midway Airport Terminal Development Program.
Philip's legislative stances on crime have been mixed. With backing from the gun lobby representing downstate hunters, Philip fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor. However, he also fought to expand the death penalty to apply to all convicted murderers. The proposed legislation he endorsed also proposed mandatory 10–year prison sentences with no chance of parole for using firearms in a "safe retail zone", defined as shopping malls, strip malls and commercial districts with more than three stores. Philip expressed a preference for expanding this portion of the law to all gun-related crimes, not just safe retail zones. State's attorneys in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area agreed with Philip's stance on gun crimes, but were mixed with regards to changes in the death penalty.
In June 1984, Philip, then the Republican minority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
, helped push through legislation authorizing the construction of a tollway, Interstate 355
Interstate 355
Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
, then referred to as simply the DuPage Tollway.
Controversy
Philip has also been known for making numerous controversial comments on various topics throughout his career. Many, including former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Dawn Clark NetschDawn Clark Netsch
Dawn Clark Netsch is an Illinois professor of law and politician. A member of the Democratic Party in the United States, she served in the Illinois State Senate, as Illinois Comptroller and in 1994 was the first woman to be nominated by a major political party to run for Governor of...
, labeled him as both holding and vocally expressing racial prejudice. However, Philip himself has said that he is not racist, saying "When you criticize minorities, whether you're right or wrong, their reaction is it's a racist remark."
During the corruption trial of former Gov. George Ryan
George Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
's top aide Scott Fawell, "Pate" Philip was called as a witness. Prosecutors asked about Philip's 50 year high school reunion--a 1999 $15,000 bash at Navy Pier set up by Scott Fawell. Philip said he never asked for any special treatment, but was happily surprised by it. It was only after the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
revealed the party that Philip paid for it out of his campaign fund.
Also during the trial, prosecuters released a document including ten pages of favors granted to former Senate President Pate Philip.
Philip spoke with Larry Hall, who wore a hidden recorder and taped the conversations as a part of an undercover government investigation. Philip agreed to try to get Hall's sister a job with the secretary of state's office in exchange for Hall's fundraising activities. Prosecutors allege Hall gave $1,400 to Philip's campaign shortly after the conversation.
Philip has been criticized for looking into the voter histories of students applying for legislative scholarships, which are funded by the taxpayers of Illinois. In 2001, all five of Philip's scholarships went to Republican primary voters or to students whose parents voted Republican, and the same trend was observed over the prior five years.
Philip, with backing from the gun lobby, fought to reduce the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to a misdemeanor.
Electoral history
- 2002 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
- Unopposed
- 1998 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
- James "Pate" Philip (R), 31,347
- Rita Gonzalez (D), 13,961
- 1994 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
- Defeated Keith Petropoulos (D)
- 1990 Race for Illinois Senate — 23rd district
- Defeated William C. Kaiser (D)