1. Harris Walter Fawell was an American lawyer and politician from Illinois who served seven terms as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 1999.
13 Facts About Harris Fawell
1. 2.
Harris Fawell attended North Central College of Naperville from 1947 to 1949, during which time he played baseball for the minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in Greenville, South Carolina.
3.
Harris Fawell served as an Assistant State Attorney for DuPage County, Illinois.
4.
Harris Fawell was the brother-in-law of Beverly Fawell, who was a member of both Houses of the Illinois General Assembly.
5.
In 1958, Harris Fawell challenged incumbent Lottie Holman O'Neill in the Republican primary to represent the 41st district in the Illinois Senate, but was unsuccessful.
6.
Harris Fawell was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from 1963 to 1977, and was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1968 and 1988.
7.
Harris Fawell prioritized preservation and expansion of local parks, resulting in some success but provoking opposition from developers and other special interests.
8.
Harris Fawell was one of only two Republicans in the state senate at the time who voted in support of fair housing legislation.
9.
Harris Fawell did not run for re-election to the state senate in 1976, choosing instead to make a run for a judicial seat.
10.
Harris Fawell chose not to seek re-election to an eighth term, retiring from Congress in 1999.
11.
Harris Fawell served on the North Central College Board of Trustees and on the Executive Council of the Chicago Metropolis 2020 of Chicago.
12.
In 2008, Harris Fawell endorsed his home state's junior United States Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States, against his party's nominee, Arizona senator John McCain.
13.
Harris Fawell died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on November 11,2021.