RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 74; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald was a retired Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and the loving husband of Gayle A., nee Aubry; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald was the much-adored father of Maura, Kathryn, Jean, Thomas and Ann and the grandfather of eight to whom he imparted many of the fine and noble qualities that he possessed in abundance; and
WHEREAS, A native of Chicago and the son of a Circuit Court judge, the Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald graduated from Loyola University and The John Marshall Law School; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald began his career as a prosecutor and was first elected to the bench in 1976, becoming the youngest elected Circuit Judge in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald ably served as a Criminal Court judge from 1976 to 1987 and was later appointed Supervising Judge of Traffic Court and Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division; and
WHEREAS, Widely respected for his judicial wisdom and legal acumen, the Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court for the First Judicial District in 2000; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald became Chief Justice in 2008; and
WHEREAS, While a member of the high court, the Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald played a leading role in helping to expand free legal services for veterans; and
WHEREAS, As Chief Justice, the Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald announced a broad series of initiatives to improve the judiciary and bolster public confidence in the state's court system; and
WHEREAS, The recipient of numerous awards and honors, the Honorable Thomas R. Fitzgerald served as President of the Illinois Judges' Association, as Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Sp...
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