Dale Righter

Dale Righter
Dale Righter
Member of the Illinois Senate; from the 55th district
	In office; January 8, 2003 – January 13, 2021
Preceded by	Frank Watson (redistricted)
Succeeded by	Darren Bailey
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 106th District
	In office; November 1997 – January 8, 2003
Preceded by	Mike Weaver
Succeeded by	Keith P. Sommer (renumbered)
Personal details
Born	August 23, 1966 (age 58); Mattoon, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Children	2
Residence	Mattoon, Illinois
Alma mater	Saint Louis University (J.D.); Eastern Illinois University (B.S.)
Profession	Attorney

Dale Righter (born August 23, 1966) is an American politician and former Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 55th district from 2003 to 2021. The 55th district included Clay, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White counties in the southeastern corner of the state.^[1] He was previously a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1997 through 2003.

Righter now is the owner and operator of the Law Offices of Dale A. Righter, LLC in his hometown of Mattoon.

Early life, education and career

Righter was born and raised in Mattoon, Illinois. He attended Mattoon High School and in 1988 graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. In 1991, Righter earned his J.D. degree from the Saint Louis University School of Law. After law school, he took a job as a drug crimes prosecutor with the State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor's Office.^[2]

Illinois General Assembly

In September 1997, Righter was appointed to represent the 106th district in the Illinois House of Representatives after Mike Weaver resigned to accept an appointment to the Illinois Industrial Commission (since renamed the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission).^[3] In 2001, he announced he was running for state senate in the newly redistricted 55th district which included Lawrence, Crawford, Clark, Cumberland, Edgar, Coles, Douglas and Piatt counties as well as parts of Champaign, Effingham, Shelby and Wabash counties.^[4] In 2020, Righter opted not to run for reelection and was succeeded by Darren Bailey.^[5]

Righter criticized House member Darren Bailey for not wearing a face mask on the floor of the Illinois House, despite the requirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Righter later said in an interview “I would not have done that”, and “I choose to wear the mask because I choose to put others concerns, quite frankly, before me”.^[6]

During the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, Righter ran to be a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention from Illinois's 15th congressional district for the presidential campaign of former Governor Mitt Romney.^[7]

References

^ "Illinois Senate District 55" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
^ "Biography". Illinois Senate Republicans. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
^ Davis, Jennifer (1997-11-30). "People: Shifts at the Top". Illinois Issues. Northern Illinois University Libraries. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
^ Schaefer, Michael (2001-10-04). "Righter to run for Senate". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
^ Barlow, Sarah E. (ed.). "Biographies of New House and Senate Members" (PDF). First Reading. 34 (1). Illinois General Assembly Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
^ "Righter rebukes Bailey's mask antics: 'Half the game is showing up'". WCIA.com. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T., eds. (November 8, 2007). "Press Release - Governor Mitt Romney Announces The Illinois Delegate And Alternate Slate". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.

External links

Senator Dale A. Righter (R) 55th District at the Illinois General Assembly
- By session: 101st, 100th, 99th, 98th, 97th, 96th, 95th, 94th, 93rd
State Senator Dale Righter constituency site
Profile at Vote Smart

[1] "Illinois Senate District 55" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2015-11-24.

[2] "Biography". Illinois Senate Republicans. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-24.

[3] Davis, Jennifer (1997-11-30). "People: Shifts at the Top". Illinois Issues. Northern Illinois University Libraries. Retrieved 2015-11-24.

[4] Schaefer, Michael (2001-10-04). "Righter to run for Senate". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved 2015-11-24.

[5] Barlow, Sarah E. (ed.). "Biographies of New House and Senate Members" (PDF). First Reading. 34 (1). Illinois General Assembly Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved December 6, 2020.

[6] "Righter rebukes Bailey's mask antics: 'Half the game is showing up'". WCIA.com. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2021-01-08.

[7] Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T., eds. (November 8, 2007). "Press Release - Governor Mitt Romney Announces The Illinois Delegate And Alternate Slate". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.

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