Don Harmon

Don Harmon
Illinois State Senator Don Harmon
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 39th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	Philip J. Rock
Personal details
Born	November 26, 1966 (1966-11-26) (age 44) Oak Park, Illinois
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Teresa
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Roman Catholic

Don Harmon is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 39th District since 2003. His district includes the Chicago neighborhood of Austin and the suburbs of Oak Park, Elmwood Park, Berkeley, Bensenville, Franklin Park, Melrose Park, Northlake, River Forest, River Grove, Rosemont, Schiller Park, and Stone Park. Senator Harmon serves as Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and on the Assignments, Environment, Executive, Executive Appointments, Redistricting, and Telecommunications and Technology Committees. In January 2009, incoming Senate President John Cullerton appointed Harmon Assistant Majority Leader.

Early life and career

Harmon was born and raised in Oak Park where he attended St. Giles Grade School. He graduated from St. Ignatius High School on Chicago's west side, Knox College in Galesburg, Illiniois, and the University of Chicago (law degree and MBA). After law school, Harmon served in Springfield on the House legal staff.

Political career

In August 2000, Don Harmon was nominated by members of the Democratic Party of Oak Park to fulfill the term of former Illinois Senate President Phil Rock as Oak Park Democratic Committeeman. He was then elected to his first full term as Committeeman in 2002 and has since been re-elected in 2006 and 2010. In 2010, Harmon was elected to serve as the Suburban Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Cook County.

First elected in the fall of 2002, Harmon has promoted a progressive agenda in the Illinois Senate. During his first term he served alongside then-State Senator and now U.S. President Barack Obama. Harmon sponsored legislation creating the Illinois Early Learning Council to create policy recommendations regarding the education of children from birth to age five. The result of that effort was the Pre-School for All program implemented throughout the state. He also authored the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003 to prohibit discriminatory policies by state, county or local governments, and to preserve for Illinois citizens civil rights protections eroded by recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions.

Additionally he helped pass legislation to eliminate two obsolete taxing districts-the Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District and the Cicero Township Trustee of Schools saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

External links

• Illinois State Senator Don Harmon political website
• Illinois General Assembly - Senator Don Harmon (D) 30th District official IL Senate website
  • Bills Committees
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Don Harmon (IL) profile
• Follow the Money - Don Harmon
  • 2006 2004 2002 campaign contributions
• Illinois State Senate Democrats - Senator Don Harmon profile

Persondata
Name	Harmon, Don
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1966-11-26
Place of birth	Oak Park, Illinois
Date of death
Place of death