John Carl Kluczynski (February 15, 1896 – January 26, 1975) was an American

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

veteran who served 13 terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

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 ...

, representing the

5th district District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

from 1951 until his death from a heart attack in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1975.

Early life and career

Born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to Thomas Kluczynski and Mary Kluczynski, née Sulaski, Kluczynski attended public and

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s, and during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

served overseas as a corporal with the Eighth Field Artillery in 1918 and 1919. He worked in the catering business upon returning to Chicago, and served in 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 1933 through 1948. In 1948, Kluczynski was elected to 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 ...

in 1948 where he served until December 1949. He resigned in 1949 to run as candidate for Congress.

Tenure in Congress

Kluczynski was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Eighty-second Congress. He was reelected to the twelve succeeding Congresses, and served from January 3, 1951, until his death from a heart attack January 26, 1975, in Chicago. He voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. While in Congress, he served as chairman of the Public Works subcommittee on transportation. He was interred in Resurrection Mausoleum,

Justice, Illinois Justice is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, established in 1911. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,600. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Justice has a total area of , of which (or 98.44%) is la ...

Legacy

The office building at the Chicago Federal Center, known as the

Kluczynski Federal Building The John C. Kluczynski Federal Building is a skyscraper in the downtown Chicago Loop located at 230 South Dearborn Street. The 45-story structure was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1974 as the last portion of the new Fede ...

, was named in Kluczynski's honor after his death in 1975. He was a

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

, active in the life of his community as a member of the

Polish National Alliance The Polish National Alliance (PNA) ( pol. Związek Narodowy Polski, (ZNP)) is the largest and one of the oldest Polish fraternal organizations in the United States. The original goal was to mobilize support among Polish Americans for the libera ...

and

Polish Roman Catholic Union of America The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA) (in Polish: ''Zjednoczenie Polskie Rzymsko-Katolickie w Ameryce'') is the oldest Polish American organization in the United States. Currently licensed to sell its products in 27 states, it is a ...

.Polish Roman Catholic Union Politicians
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kluczynski, John Carl 1896 births 1975 deaths Politicians from Chicago Military personnel from Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Party Illinois state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois American politicians of Polish descent United States Army soldiers 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life and career

Tenure in Congress

Legacy

See also

References