Beverly Fawell (September 17, 1930 – June 22, 2013) was an

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

politician from

Glen Ellyn Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lombar ...

, part of a family prominent in the Republican Party in Du Page County, Illinois (her brother-in-law was

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

Harris Fawell Harris Walter Fawell (March 25, 1929 – November 11, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician from Illinois who served seven terms as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 1999. Early life and career ...

Education

Born in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

, Fawell received her bachelor's degree in elementary education and business administration from

Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July ...

and did graduate studies in political science at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

Political career

She served as a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

from the 41st district (1981–82), and as a member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

from the 20th district from 1983 until she resigned her seat in late 1999 after the death of her son Steve, reportedly to take care of his orphaned children, but in January 2000 was appointed to a $85,000-a-year job post as chief of communications and community relations for the

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Illinois charged with building, operating, and maintaining toll roads in the state. The roads, as well as the authority itself, are sometimes refer ...

. She was succeeded by

Peter Roskam Peter James Roskam (born September 13, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who is the former United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , serving six terms from 2007 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party ...

George Ryan connection

In 1994, Fawell withstood a strong challenge in the Republican

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

from Michael Formento, a DuPage County Board member, former mayor of Glen Ellyn and intra-party foe of Senate President James "Pate" Philip.

Later life and death

After spending ten days at Central DuPage Hospital, Fawell died of chronic heart failure on Saturday, June 22, 2013, at the age of 82.Longtime DuPage County lawmaker Beverly Fawell Dies
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References

1930 births 2013 deaths People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois People from Oak Park, Illinois Elmhurst College alumni Northern Illinois University alumni Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Women state legislators in Illinois 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 20th-century American women politicians {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-Republican-stub