Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Q: So I guess placing advertisements for those that were running, and that
sort of thing, would be done at . . .
A: That would have been done by the candidates themselves. We didn't get
involved with that, no.
Q: So actually, other than the rallies and the about twice a month meetings,
that was the extent of the formal activity of the committee structure?
A: Yes, except for call meetings to deal with specific problems that arose from
time to time.
Q: (pause) Okay. When you ran for the legislature, who did you replace?
A: Well, it really wasn't a replacement as such. In 1955, the legislature
redistricted and as a result 05 the redistricting we got mare distrkts in
Chicago than we had had before. And I was in a district and was chosen as one
of the two Democrats in that district, So I actually did not replace anyone
because it was a brand new district.
Q: And this was the 22nd district?
A: The 22nd district, that's correct.
Q: And who was the other Democrat that ran with you?
A: His name was Charles Armstrong. He was a lawyer also and was very, very
interested in the education committee and he was a member of the education
committee and passed a bill that, back in those days, was called the Armstrong
Law, which if properly implemented would have saved a lot of the grief we have
in Chicago now about so-called school problems today.
Q: And there was a Republican, then, that ran at the same time?
A: Yes, his name was J. Horace Gardner.
Q: Did you know him very well?
A: Knew him very well. He was the Republican committeeman of the 20th ward.
Q: Crh, I see. And this, because of the cumulative voting, was two Democrats
and one Republican from that area.
A: That's correct.
Q: And, at that time, there were only the three that ran in the regular
election, then?
A: Right.
Q: So really there was no opposition to any of them?