ILLINOIS STATECRAFT

The story of Illinois politics is not only colorful, but also essential to our understanding of Illinois and its place in the nation and the wider world today. This project focuses not just on politicians, but on journalists, lobbyists, jurists, political aides, friends, relatives and political opponents; in other words, those behind the headlines as well as those who find themselves in them.

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have oral historians on staff. Therefore, the Illinois Statecraft project focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on state and local politics. And while our interviewees sometimes discuss the Chicago political scene, we generally leave primary responsibility for that subject to Chicago institutions. That said, there is plenty in this collection that will enlighten the serious student, or catch the attention of those of us who are fascinated by the way the political game is played in Illinois. See also the excellent oral history collection at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) for more interviews with Illinois legislators and politicians.