John Fritchey

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John Fritchey is the Illinois State Representative for the 11th district. He has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 1996.

1 Early life
2 State Representative
3 Personal life
4 External links

[edit] Early life

John Fritchey was born on March 2, 1964 at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. After living briefly in Olney, Illinois, home to three generations of his family, and later in Belleville, John moved to Chicago with his mother where he attended grammar school and high school at the The Latin School of Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1986 from the University of Michigan. Fritchey returned home to earn his law degree from Northwestern University in 1989. After earning his law degree, Fritchey worked as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General from 1989-1991.

[edit] State Representative

Fritchey was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996, when he was only 32. During his campaign he had support from both local elected officials as well as broad grass roots support, which led some political publications to call him the “new face of Chicago Democrats.” Fritchey continued to gain prominence when he was named “100 Rising Stars to Watch” in the nation by the Democratic Leadership Council in both 2000 and 2003.

Fritchey has established himself as a leader on numerous important issues facing Illinois. From government ethics to consumer protection to education funding, John has consistently fought for his constituents and the residents throughout Illinois. In 2001, Fritchey's efforts led to his being named Democratic Leader of the Year by the Illinois State Crime Commission.

Since first being elected, Fritchey has been a leader in the fight to clean up government. In 2002, after four years of battling Governor George Ryan's administration, Fritchey passed the first significant campaign reform law in Illinois in years, outlawing the practice of campaign fundraising by state inspectors. In 2003, his work with State Senator Barack Obama resulted in the passage of the most comprehensive ethics bill ever passed in the state.

When Illinois was awarded 9.1 billion dollars in the national lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers, House leadership named John to be Co-Chairman of the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Committee. In this role, John sponsored sweeping legislation to improve the health of all Illinoisans through a fiscally responsible plan combining major healthcare initiatives with long-term savings and investment.

As Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee from 1999-2002, John was at the forefront of the fight to protect the rights of families and individuals throughout our state. His efforts to rein in escalating ATM fees received national praise and attention. Recently, in order to combat the growing problem of identity theft, John drafted and passed a law preventing retailers from printing your full credit card number on receipts. This past session, John passed legislation out of the House to protect computer users from the dangers and annoyances of spyware.

In 2003, John's hard work and experience led to his being selected to be Chairman of the House Civil Judiciary Committee, putting him at the forefront of handling many of the key proposals that affect our daily lives.

In addition to his legislative work, Fritchey has taught as an adjunct professor in Political Science at Northwestern University. He has also created the John Fritchey Youth Foundation, designed to create educational and recreational opportunities for local kids through academic and athletic programs.