Ray A. Christensen (May 11, 1922 — April 21, 2008) was an American politician who served as a

Democratic 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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 current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1977 to 1989. Christensen was born in

Dwight, Illinois Dwight is a village located mainly in Livingston County, Illinois, with a small portion in Grundy County. The population was 4,032 at the 2020 census. Dwight contains an original stretch of U.S. Route 66, and from 1892 until 2016 continuously u ...

on May 11, 1922, and raised in

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019. Description Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a larg ...

. He served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. A meat inspector and butcher by occupation, Christensen served on the Morris City Council and as President of the Morris Community High School District 101 Board of Education. In the 1976 general election, Christensen as one of three representatives from the 43rd district. The 43rd district included all or parts of Grundy, Will, Kankakee,

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, and

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

counties. Elected alongside him were two

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

candidates; incumbent

George Ryan George Homer Ryan (born February 24, 1934) is an American former politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 39th governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003. Elected in 1998, Ryan received national attention for his 1999 morat ...

and former State Senator

Edward McBroom Edward McBroom (February 18, 1925 – October 2, 1990) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician. Born in Kankakee, Illinois, McBroom served in the United States Navy. He went to the University of Illinois. McBroom owned an automo ...

. The fourth candidate was Kankakee County Treasurer

Charles Pangle Charles L. "Chuck" Pangle (June 5, 1941 – December 25, 2015) was an American businessman and politician. Born in Bradley, Illinois, Pangle graduated from Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School and then served in the United States Navy. H ...

. During his early House tenure, he was a supporter of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men an ...

. After the

Cutback Amendment The Cutback Amendment (formally named the "Size of State House of Representatives Amendment"; and also known as both "Amendment 1" and the "Legislative Article") is an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that abolished multi-member districts in ...

eliminated multi-member districts and cumulative voting, Christensen was elected from the 85th district, which included all or parts of Grundy, Will, Kankakee, and

LaSalle La Salle, LaSalle or Lasalle is part of the names of two men born in 17th century France, Jean-Baptiste de La Salle and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, for whom many places and things are named. The name may refer to: Places Canada *L ...

counties. In the 1986 general election,

Jerry Weller Gerald Cameron Weller (born July 7, 1957) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing . As of 2015, Weller is the managing principal of New World Group Public Affairs, a lobbying group ...

challenged Christensen and in the official result, Weller won by a four-vote margin, 14,217 to 14,213. Christensen challenged the result while Weller was sworn in as the State Representative. The Illinois House of Representatives set up a House Committee on Election Contests which heard the two candidates challenges. In a party line vote, the House voted to unseat Weller and seat Christensen. Christensen opted to retire. Jerry Weller defeated Democratic candidate and Grundy County Clerk Lana Phillips to succeed Christensen. Christensen died April 21, 2008.

References

1922 births 2008 deaths People from Morris, Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Illinois city council members United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub