October 14, 2008
Illinois attorney general to speak at SIUC Oct. 21
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will deliver the Jeanne Hurley Simon Lecture next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Madigan will speak at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21, in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building Auditorium. Admission is free, and the public is welcome.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is sponsoring Madigan’s lecture.
“General Madigan has stood out -- not only in Illinois but nationally -- for her initiatives to combat methamphetamine, protect women and children from sexual predators, protect the environment and hold financial institutions accountable for improper lending practices,” institute Director Mike Lawrence said. “Her accomplishments as the first female to serve as Illinois attorney general -- plus her strong ties to the Simon family as a former intern in Paul's Senate office -- make her an excellent fit for a lecture series that honors Jeanne’s memory.”
The Jeanne Hurley Simon Lecture Series honors Public Policy Institute founder Paul Simon's first wife, Jeanne, who died in February 2000. The series brings in prestigious speakers in the field of politics, government and other vital issues to campus.
This is the fourth event in the lecture series. Madigan’s lecture follows appearances by former U.S. Sens. Howard Baker, R-Tenn., and Nancy Kassebaum Baker, R-Kansas; former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow; and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke
Madigan is the third woman elected to a statewide office in Illinois. The first woman elected state attorney general, Madigan won re-election to a second term in November 2006, and is considered a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2010.
Madigan graduated from Georgetown University in 1988, and while in school, worked in Sen. Simon’s office. Madigan served as an assistant dean for adult/continuing education at Wright College in Chicago, and earned her law degree by attending Loyola University Law School at night.
Jeanne Simon graduated from Barat College and the Northwestern University School of Law. She served as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County beginning in 1952. Elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1956 and 1958, she married fellow legislator Paul Simon in 1960. Upon leaving the legislature in 1961, Simon actively participated in her husband's subsequent campaigns for lieutenant governor, U.S. representative, and the U.S. Senate, in addition to Paul Simon's 1988 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
For more information, contact the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at 618/453-4009, or visit the Web site at http://www.PaulSimonInstitute.siuc.edu