Grace Mary Stern papers, 1968-1997

  • IdentificationMSSter97
  • TitleGrace Mary Stern papers MSSter97
  • PublisherSpecial Collections
  • LanguageEnglish
  • RepositorySpecial Collections
  • Physical Description12.0 Linear feet
  • Date1968-1997
  • AbstractGrace Mary Stern's 30-year career in public service included terms as assistant township supervisor for Deerfield Township, County Clerk, Illinois State Representative, and Illinois Senator. This collection begins in 1966 and continues on to 1997.
  • OriginationStern, Grace Mary

Old Resource ID was GMStern

Grace Mary Stern's 30-year career in public service began in 1966 when she became assistant township supervisor for Deerfield Township. She also served on the Lake County Board of Supervisors until 1970, when she was elected County Clerk. With her election as County Clerk, Stern became the first Democrat in 36 years to win a county post in the solidly Republican area. In 1982, after serving 12 years as County Clerk, Stern ran for Illinois Lieutenant Governor as Adlai Stevenson's running mate. The Stevenson-Stern ticket was narrowly defeated by incumbent Gov. James R. Thompson and his running mate, George Ryan. Stern won election to the state House in 1984 and served there until 1992, when she was elected a State Senator. She served until 1994 when she was defeated for re-election by a Republican in a year when Democrats were voted out of office nationwide. Mrs. Stern was known as a fiery supporter of the disadvantaged, the mentally ill, and an advocate of women's issues, equal rights, gun control and increasing voter registration. She died of brain cancer on May 17, 1998 in her home in Highland Park, Illinois.

This collection begins in 1966 and continues on to 1997. The first series contains material about Grace Mary Stern's political positions held in Lake County, Illinois. The second series consists of documents from her terms in the Illinois House of Representatives and the third series with her position in the Illinois Senate. Boxes 22-25 are part of a later accession and contain material from before Stern's time as Lake County Clerk (pre-1968), as well as material documenting her political and personal life in retirement, after serving in the Illinois Senate (1994 on).

Grace Mary Stern papers, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Names
    • Democratic Party (U.S.).
    • Stern, Grace Mary -- Archives
  • Subject
    • Chicago Political and Civic Life.
    • Women's rights.
  • Geographic CoverageIllinois.