Walter Dudycz
Walter W. Dudycz (born March 11, 1950) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from 1985 until 2003.
Dudycz, a Ukrainian American was born in Chicago to a janitor mother and a factory worker father. He was raised on the West Side of Chicago.[1] Dudycz was a veteran of the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. After the war, he became a detective with the Chicago Police Department. Dudycz was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1984. He was married to Oksana.[2] He had two daughters; one of whom is writer Valya Dudycz Lupescu. Dudycz earned a bachelor's degree from Northeastern Illinois University.[3] In 1990, Dudycz ran for the United States House of Representatives against longtime Democratic incumbent Frank Annunzio, but lost.[1] After the 2001 decennial redistricting, he chose to retire from the Illinois Senate in 2001. His old district had been dismantled, and he faced the prospect of running against incumbent Democrat James DeLeo, whose district had absorbed most of the Chicago portion of his old district, or incumbent Republican Dave Sullivan, whose district had absorbed much of the suburban portion. He was the last Republican state senator representing a significant portion of Chicago.[4]
During the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, Dudycz ran to be a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention from Illinois's 9th congressional district for the presidential campaign of former Governor Mitt Romney.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b Miller, Bryan (October 18, 1990). "Mr. Dudycz Goes for Washington". Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ Illinois blue book, 1985-1986 Biographical Sketch of Walter W. Dudycz pg 70
- ^ Illinois blue book, 1997-1998 Biographical Sketch of Walter W. Dudycz pg 77
- ^ Long, Ray (December 14, 2001). "Dudycz won't seek re-election to Senate". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T., eds. (November 8, 2007). "Press Release - Governor Mitt Romney Announces The Illinois Delegate And Alternate Slate". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Illinois Republicans
- Illinois state senators
- Politicians from Chicago
- United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
- Military personnel from Illinois
- Northeastern Illinois University alumni
- American people of Ukrainian descent
- American police detectives
- Chicago Police Department officers