Neil Hartigan

Cornelius Francis "Neil" Hartigan (born May 4, 1938) is an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the Attorney General of Illinois and the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

David Hartigan was also twice elected Alderman of the 49th Ward, later dying in office.

The younger Hartigan graduated from Loyola Academy and attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he befriended future Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Hartigan graduated from Georgetown with a bachelor's degree.

He later received a juris doctor degree from Loyola University College of Law in 1966.

Upon the completion of law school, Hartigan worked for the City of Chicago as an administrative assistant to Mayor Richard J. Daley.

He was eventually made liquor commissioner by Daley, becoming in charge of the city’s liquor licensing.

Hartigan later served as deputy mayor under Daley.

He also managed the mayor’s successful reelection campaigns in 1967 and 1971.

In his first race for political office, Hartigan was elected the Democratic Committeeman for Chicago's 49th ward in 1968.

Hartigan, working under Daley, also helped with 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which he was a delegate to.

In 1971, then-lieutenant governor Paul Simon asked Hartigan to be his running mate in the next year's gubernatorial election.

During the Democratic primary election, Hartigan won the lieutenant governor nomination, but Simon lost in an upset to political outsider Dan Walker.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Hartigan was elected Lieutenant Governor alongside Dan Walker in the 1972 gubernatorial election.

Hartigan and Walker were elected on the same ticket in the 1972 general election, defeating the incumbent Republican governor Richard B. Ogilvie and his running mate Jim Nowlan.

At the time of his inauguration, Hartigan was the youngest lieutenant governor in the nation.

Time magazine also named Hartigan in 1973 as one of the future 200 leaders of the country.

One of Hartigan's most notable accomplishments as lieutenant governor was establishing a statewide Department of Aging, which was made to run Illinois's government programs for the elderly.

Although he won renomination for a second term, Hartigan and Micheal Howlett lost the 1976 general election.

Following Daley's health struggles and subsequent death in 1976, Hartigan was floated as a possible successor.

Hartigan also was the City of Chicago's legislative counsel in Springfield, the state's capital.

In addition, he worked as the attorney for the Chicago Board of Health and the general counsel for the Chicago Park District.

He ran for reelection as lieutenant governor in the 1976 Illinois gubernatorial election.

Governor Walker lost the primary to Secretary of State Michael Howlett.

Hartigan easily won renomination, but the Democratic team of Howlett and Hartigan lost handily in the general election.

Following his defeat, he left public life and worked as a banker for 5 years.

He held the position for about 12 years, stepping down in 1980.

Hartigan was later elected attorney general in 1982.

Hartigan returned to politics to run successfully for Attorney General of Illinois in the 1982 election.

As attorney general, Hartigan focused on consumer protection and stricter controls on hazardous waste.

While in office, he served as chairman of the National Association of Attorneys General's consumer protection committee.

He went on to be reelected in 1986.

Hartigan was reelected in 1986.

Hartigan was also the Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1990, but he lost the close race to Republican Jim Edgar.

In 2002, Hartigan became a justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.

He retired in 2004.

Hartigan grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, in an Irish Catholic family.

His father, David L. Hartigan, was involved in local Democratic politics.

He worked for the city and went on to be appointed City Treasurer of Chicago by Mayor Martin H. Kennelly.