RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner, former Secretary of Transportation and Chief of Staff under President George H.W. Bush, has been named a recipient of the 2017 Order of Lincoln Award by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this honor by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, The Order of Lincoln is the State of Illinois' highest award given to individuals whose achievements and contributions to the betterment of society have brought honor to the state; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner was born in Chicago and raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and is an alumnus of the University of Illinois and DePaul University College of Law; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner was a lieutenant and a platoon leader in the United States Army from 1960-1961, and is a member of the United States Army ROTC Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner was appointed as Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois by President Richard Nixon in 1968; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner was appointed to United States Attorney by President Gerald Ford in 1975 and served in that capacity for two years; and
WHEREAS, While acting as senior partner of the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin LLP, the Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner served on the Illinois Fraud Prevention Commission, the Illinois Coal Conversion Task Force, the Illinois Capital Development Board, the Regional Transportation Authority, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the Vice Chairman of the President's Commission on Organized Crime; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner became the United States Secretary of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush in 1989; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner guided the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act into law which created a new structure for the nation's transportation planning and funding; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner developed the "'Open Skies" policy which liberalized United States international aviation policy and significantly increased the number of international flights to and from the country; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner resigned from the post of Secretary of Transportation in 1991 to become the Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush; and
WHEREAS, Following his time in government, the Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner became President of Commonwealth Edison and its holding company, Unicom Corporation, and remained in that post for five years; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner is Chairman, President, and CEO of US Freightways Corporation, a global leader in the transportation and logistics industry; and
WHEREAS, While serving as CEO of US Freightways, Fortune Magazine recognized the corporation as one of the most admired in America, and the corporation received numerous awards for excellence from national publications; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner is on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE), Virgin America Airlines, Echo Global Logistics, and Navigant Consulting; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner served as Director of the United States Chamber of Commerce, Anadarko Holding Company, Click Commerce Inc., Aristotle Holding Inc., Express Scripts Inc., MedAssets Inc., The LTV Corporation, Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Inc., Chicago and North Transportation Company, Iteris Inc., Dade Behring Inc., Stimsonite Corporation, and APAC Customer Services Inc., and Midwest Air Group Inc.; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner was Chairman, President and CEO of YRC Regional Transportation Inc., and Chairman of Echo Global Logistics Inc. and Transportation.com; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner is the current Of-Counsel to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP where he consults with clients in areas such as state and federal regulatory matters, transportation issues, and corporate governance; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner has taught courses at both the John Marshall Law School and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and has served as a guest lecturer at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council do hereby recognize and congratulate the Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner on this nineteenth day of April, 2017, as one of seven distinguished recipients of the Order of Lincoln Award which is to be presented by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois on May 6, 2017; and
B] C IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Honorabi Samuel Knox Skinner.