SR0900 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0900 LRB098 16512 MST 51579 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Richard Salisbury Williamson of Kenilworth, who passed away on December 8, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Richard Williamson was born in 1949 in Evanston; he graduated from New Trier Township High School in Winnetka and received his Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Princeton University, where he was President of his senior class, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School, where he was executive editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law; he married Jane Thatcher; and

WHEREAS, Richard Williamson had a long and distinguished career in public service at the local, state, national, and international level; he served 3 presidents in various senior policy positions: Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs for Ronald Reagan, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations at the State Department for George H.W. Bush, and for George W. Bush, Ambassador to the United Nations for Political Affairs, Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and as the President's Special Envoy to Sudan; and

WHEREAS, Richard Williamson dedicated his life to promoting human rights and democracy all over the world, and he was active in many organizations that shared his mission such as the Brookings Institution, the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, the Center for New American Security, Freedom House, the McCain Institute for Leadership, the International Republican Institute, and a United Nations Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to the advancement of democracy across the globe; and

WHEREAS, Richard Williamson was an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and authored several books and articles on democracy and the protection of human rights; he also served as chair of the Illinois Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, Richard Williamson is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jane; his children, Elisabeth Graham (Ryan), Craig Salisbury, and Richard Middleton (Sara); his granddaughter, Cora Jane; his brother, Bruce (Alice); his sister, Barb (Erv); and 10 nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Richard Salisbury Williamson, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Richard Williamson as an expression of our deepest sympathy.