Dawn Clark Netsch

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Dawn Clark Netsch (born September 16, 1926 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an Illinois professor of law and politician. A member of the Democratic Party in the United States, she served as Illinois Comptroller and in 1994 was the first woman to be nominated by a major political party to run for Governor of Illinois. In 2006, Judy Baar Topinka became only the second woman nominated by a major party.

[edit] Early career

Netsch graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University in Evanston in 1948^[1]. She graduated #1 in her class from the university's law school in 1952 and has been a faculty member since 1965. She worked on Adlai Stevenson's 1952 presidential campaign and then at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Covington & Burling. Returning to Chicago, she was in private practice from 1957 to 1961, and then joined the staff of Gov. Otto Kerner.

In 1970, she was elected to be a delegate at the Illinois Constitutional Convention which took place later that year. In 1972, she was elected to the State Senate as a Democrat, first representing the 13th district, then the 4th district.

In 1990, she ran for and won the Democratic party's nomination for Illinois Comptroller, and went on to win the general election, beating Republican Sue Suter 54% to 46%.

[edit] Gubernatorial race

Four years later, in 1994, she won an upset victory in the Democratic primary for Illinois governor, beating Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris and Cook County Board President Richard Phelan, winning by more than 10 points ahead of Burris. Netsch had been behind in the polls a few weeks earlier. During the primary, she aired a campaign ad showing her playing (and winning) a game of eight-ball pool, reflecting a lifelong hobby of hers and also playing on her reputation as a "straight shooter." The effectiveness of this ad, in contrast to the far more flashy ones aired by her much better funded opponents, was seen as contributing to her surge in the polls in the final weeks of the primary campaign.

Netsch's campaign slogan was "Not just another pretty face.^[2]" She proposed increasing the state income tax rate from 3% to 4.25% to pay for educational funding and reduce property taxes, a plan which was attacked by her Republican opponent, Governor Jim Edgar. Netsch, a liberal who lacked strong support of the Cook County Democratic Machine, was unable to overcome Edgar's popularity in a year where the Republican party romped nationally, and received only 34% of the vote.

[edit] Later career

In 1995 Netsch was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a "Friend of the Community" for her support of issues of importance to the GLBT community^[3]. She marches every year in Chicago's Gay Pride parade.

Netsch is currently a professor of Law Emeritus at Northwestern University, and is the widow of famed architect Walter Netsch. She has been a prominent opponent of holding a new constitutional convention in Illinois.^[4]

Netsch remains involved in politics by backing candidates for elected office, such as Jan Schakowsky's winning bid to replace Congressman Sidney Yates, representing IL-09, in 1996, and John Schmidt's failed gubernatorial bid in 2002.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dawn Clark Netsch on Politics Interview by Chicago Life Magazine

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