William Cousins (judge)

William Cousins, Jr. (October 29, 1927 January 20, 2018) was an American lawyer, judge, and member of the Chicago City Council.

William Cousins
Illinois Appellate Court Judge
In office
1992 (1992)–2002 (2002)
Illinois Circuit Court Judge
In office
1976 (1976)–1992 (1992)
Chicago Alderman from the 8th Ward
In office
1967 (1967)–1976 (1976)
Preceded byJames A. Condon
Succeeded byMarian Humes
Personal details
Born(1927-10-29)October 29, 1927
Swiftown, Mississippi, United States
DiedJanuary 20, 2018(2018-01-20) (aged 90)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Resting placeUnited States
Chicago, Il
Political partyDemocratic (1964-2018)[1]
Republican (until 1964)[1]
SpouseHiroko
ChildrenFour
ResidenceChicago, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Illinois (B.A.)
Harvard Law School (J.D.)
ProfessionAttorney
Judge
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1951–1976
RankLieutenant colonel
UnitUnited States Army Reserve (1953-1976)

Early life

Cousins was born in Swiftown, Mississippi, and was an African-American. He moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee. Cousins and his family then moved to Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from DuSable High School in Chicago, in 1945. Cousins received his bachelor's degree in political science, from University of Illinois in 1948 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1951. He served in the United States Army during World War II and was a commissioned a lieutenant colonel. He practiced law in Chicago and served as a Cook County assistant state's attorney.[2]

Chicago City Council

Cousins was a Republican, but left the party during the 1964 elections after the nomination of Barry Goldwater, an opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and became a Democrat. In 1967, he defeated incumbent James A. Condon. During his time on the City Council, Cousins was considered an opponent of the Democratic political machine that was led by Richard J. Daley. Cousins served on the Chicago City Council from 1967 to 1976. He was succeeded by Marian Humes, an ally of John Stroger.[1]

Judicial career

He then served as an Illinois Circuit Court judge from 1976 to 1992. In 1979, he ruled the death penalty was unconstitutional. In 1992, he was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court and served until 2002.[2]

Retirement and death

Cousins died at the University of Chicago Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.[3][4][2]

Notes

  1. Fremon, David K. (October 22, 1988). Chicago Politics Ward by Ward. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 64–87. ISBN 0-253-31344-9. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  2. O'Donnell, Maureen (20 January 2018). "Judge William Cousins dies; Harvard grad was prosecutor, independent alderman". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. Illinois House Resolutiom-Retirement of Judge William Cousins
  4. The History Makers-Judge William Cousins, Jr.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.