Abner Mikva brought his sharp legal advice and principled worldview to all three branches of government — he was a congressman, federal judge and presidential adviser. He stood up to Richard J. Daley, for years, and managed to survive hizzoner's efforts to destroy him.
And if that weren't enough, if giving legal advice to Bill Clinton and encouraging Barack Obama to try for the White House weren't enough, Mr. Mikva, who died of cancer at age 90 on Monday, was also the young man who tried to volunteer to help the Democrats in 1948 and was told by a ward heeler: "We don't want nobody nobody sent," coining the immortal distillation of political cronyism.
"That's Chicago for you," said Obama, remembering the phrase when he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mr. Mikva in 2014. The president called Mr. Mikva “one of the greatest jurists of his time,” someone who “helped shape the national debate on some of the most challenging issues of the day.”
Obama on Tuesday issued a statement saying Mr. Mikva "believed in empowering the next generation of young people to shape our country. Ab’s life was a testament to that truth. ... Like so many admirers, I’ve lost a mentor and a friend."
To continue reading, click here.
A great man indeed.
ReplyDeleteThat was the Cook County Administration Building fire in 2003. A case of multiple instances of communications failure, and fire and life safety equipment breakdown. People were trapped in a smoke filled stairwell, six of them died of smoke inhalation. It's not surprising Mikva chaired the investigative commission, although the sprinkler requirement has yet to be fully mandated, they had other sound recommendations that were implemented. One of many that is most noticeable is that high rise stairwell doors don't lock behind you, or that the locks automatically release when there is a fire alarm.
ReplyDelete