Political Quotes

“The Cook County Criminal Courts Building in Chicago is an imposing building at the intersection of 26th Street and California Avenue that has long been known by its address: 26th and Cal. Last month, the Criminal Courts Building was renamed the Honorable George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building in tribute to a remarkable man. Judge George Leighton, who turns 100 years old this October, has excelled as a lawyer and judge and has embodied the ideals of the American dream. George Leighton was born in 1912 in New Bedford, MA, to African immigrants. As a young boy, Judge Leighton picked fruit for several months each year to help support his family. Then just before he should have started seventh grade, he left school to take a job on an oil tanker in the Dutch West Indies. George Leighton never finished grade school or high school, but he heard that a scholarship fund was offering a $200 scholarship for the winner of an essay contest, and he submitted the winning essay. In 1936, with his $200 scholarship, he hitchhiked to Washington, D.C., to attend college. He was granted conditional admittance to Howard University, where he graduated magna cum laude 4 years later. In 1940, George Leighton joined the United States Army's 93rd Infantry Division. When he returned to the United States after the war, he was accepted at Harvard Law School. He graduated from Harvard and passed the Illinois State Bar Examination.…”