Vince Demuzio
| Vince Demuzio | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 49th district |
|
|
In office January 1975 – April 2004 |
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| Preceded by | A.C. "Junie" Bartulis |
| Succeeded by | Deanna Demuzio |
| Chairman of Democratic Party of Illinois | |
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In office 1986 – 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Calvin Sutker |
| Succeeded by | Gary LaPaille |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 7, 1941 Gillespie, Illinois |
| Died | April 27, 2004 (aged 62) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Deanna Demuzio |
| Children | Two children |
| Residence | Carlinville, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Sangamon State University |
| Profession | Politician |
Vince Demuzio (May 7, 1941 – April 27, 2004) was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate from January 1975 until his death in April 2004. During his time in the Senate, he represented various portions of southwestern Illinois. At the time of his death, he was the most senior member of the Illinois Senate.
In addition to his service in the Illinois Senate, he served as the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party from 1986 to 1990.
Demuzio was born May 7, 1941, in Gillespie. He attended SS. Simon and Jude Catholic School and Gillespie High School. He went on to become Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Economic Development Corporation.
He was first elected in 1974 in an upset against Senator A.C. "Junie" Bartulis. After that election, he handily beat most of his opponents and during the later half of his career ran unopposed. At the beginning of his Senate tenure, Demuzio became part of a group of legislators called the “Crazy 8” which included, among others, Terry L. Bruce and Dawn Clark Netsch. Two years later, the group teamed up with Harold Washington and other members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to win legislative reforms from Thomas Hynes by withholding support for his election as Senate President. Keeping with his maverick ways, he ran for Secretary of State on a slate with independent Democratic Governor Dan Walker. He lost the Democratic primary to Alan J. Dixon who would serve as Secretary of State until his election to the United States Senate.
In 1983, he was appointed as an Assistant Majority Leader and reappointed each session until the Democrats lost their majority during the 1992 election. After that he remained in Democratic leadership as an Assistant Minority Leader. When the Democrats retook the Senate in 2002, he was subsequently appointed the Senate Majority Leader.
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