Bill Lipinski

William Oliver Lipinski (born December 22, 1937), American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2005, representing a district in Chicago.

He was born in Chicago, and was educated at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Lipinski served in the United States Army Reserve, and he was a public administrator with the Chicago Park District of the city of Chicago. In 1975, Mayor Richard J. Daley named him as the Democratic committeeman for Chicago's 23rd Ward, in the southwestern portion of the city—a post he still holds. In the same year, Lipinski was elected to the Chicago City Council as the alderman for the 23rd Ward, serving until his election to Congress from Illinois's 5th congressional district which included most of southwestern Chicago. He was reelected four times from this district with almost no difficulty.

After the 1990 census, his district was merged with the 3rd district, represented by a longtime friend, Marty Russo. Lipinski defeated Russo in the 1992 Democratic primary, all but assuring a sixth term. He was reelected five more times from this district, facing serious opposition only once, in 1994.

While in the House, Lipinski served on the Transportation Committee; his district included Midway Airport and also had more railroad crossings than any other district.^[1]

Like many Daley Democrats, Lipinski was somewhat conservative by national Democratic standards. He strongly supported the right to life,^[2] and described himself as a staunch conservative on foreign policy.^[3] He was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition consisting of moderate and conservative congressional Democrats.

Lipinski endorsed Bill Bradley for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000.^[4]

During the 2004 election cycle, Lipinski initially placed his name on the ballot and easily won the primary election. On August 13, 2004, however, Lipinski withdrew his name from the November 2 general election ballot, announcing that he would retire at the end of his current term, which expired on January 3, 2005. At Lipinski's urging, Democratic party leaders named his son, Dan Lipinski, a University of Tennessee professor, to replace him on the ballot. Dan Lipinski then won the general election against token Republican opposition in the relatively Democratic district.

Lipinski has since become a lobbyist.

External links

• Bill Lipinski at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References