Dick Durbin: “Monday, the Fourth of July, was the 240th anniversary of the creation of the United States of America. It was a day on…”

“Monday, the Fourth of July, was the 240th anniversary of the creation of the United States of America. It was a day on which we celebrated this great Nation. We celebrated our great leaders, but in Illinois we lost one of our best in the passing of Abner Mikva on the Fourth of July. Abner Mikva was a friend. In addition to that, he was an extraordinary individual. His record of public service is unmatched. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who did so many distinguished things in the legislative branch of our Federal Government, serving in the House of Representatives; serving on the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia in the judicial branch; and serving as general counsel to President William Clinton in the White House in the executive branch. Abner Mikva combined them all. The highlights of his life are an amazing story of a young man going through law school who decided in 1948 that he wanted to get involved in politics. Judge Mikva got his start when he walked into the 8th Ward headquarters in the city of Chicago in 1948--back in the day when the Democratic organization of Chicago was a powerful operation. Here he was, a young man, a young law student who was inspired by the candidacies of Adlai Stevenson for Governor of Illinois and Paul Douglas for the U.S. Senate, and he wanted to do his part. What transpired when he made that effort has become legend in Chicago. Abner Mikva showed up.…”