Eugenia Sheldon Chapman (January 10, 1923 – September 30, 1994) was an American educator and politician.

Early life and career

Eugenia Sheldon was born in

Fairhope, Alabama Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2020 Census lists the population of the city as 22,477. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolita ...

, on January 10, 1923. She earned a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

from

Chicago Teachers College Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

in 1944. She then took jobs teaching in

Cicero, Illinois Cicero (originally known as Hawthorne) is a suburb of Chicago and an Incorporated town#Illinois, incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was ...

and at

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...

. During the 1940s, she was also active as a counselor and director of children's summer camps. She taught schools in Chicago and

Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, neighboring the City of Chicago's northern border. Its population, according to the 2020 census, was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's do ...

. In 1952, Chapman moved to

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

. She was a president and charter member of the Arlington Heights chapter of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. She served on the

Township High School District 214 Township High School District 214 is located in Cook County, Illinois. It is the state's second largest high school district by enrollment.

Board of Education from 1961 to 1964.

Political career

Chapman served as a 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 1965 to 1983. In 1970, she was a delegate to

White House Conference on Children and Youth The White House Conference on Children and Youth was a series of meetings hosted over 60 years by the President of the United States of America, and the first White House conference ever held. Under the leadership of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, ...

. From 1973 to 1975, she was a legislative member of the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women and chaired its Legislative Action Committee. She was a chief Illinois sponsor of the proposed

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 and ...

, and of the Illinois Public Junior College Act. She chaired the Committee on Human Resources from 1975 to 1979 and chaired the Appropriations II Committee in 1980. She served as Democratic Whip from 1981 to 1983 making her the first woman to hold an Illinois House leadership position in state history. During her legislative career, she was awarded the best legislator award from

Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization The Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) is an independent, not-for-profit, Illinois political organization. Often referred to by its acronym, IVI-IPO, has roots dating to 1944, when the Independent Voters of ...

multiple times. In the

1982 United States House of Representatives elections The 1982 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the United States House of Representatives held on November 2, 1982, in the middle of President Ronald Reagan's first term, whose popularity was sinking due to economic ...

, Chapman ran for Congress losing to

John Porter John Porter may refer to: Politicians * John Porter (portreeve), 1390–94, Member of Parliament (MP) for Taunton * John Porter (Illinois politician) (1935–2022), Illinois politician, U.S. Representative * John Porter (MP for Bramber) (died 1599 ...

receiving 41% of the vote. In 1983,

Neil Hartigan Neil F. Hartigan (born May 4, 1938) is an American lawyer and politician from Illinois. He served as the Attorney General of Illinois, the List of lieutenant governors of Illinois, 40th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Lieutenant Governor, and ...

named Chapman the Chief of the Division of Senior Citizen Advocacy and Coordinator for Community Education in Office of

Illinois Attorney General The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorney ...

. She served there until her retirement in 1989. She served as a committeewoman from the 10th district on the Illinois Democratic Central Committee from 1983 until her death. Chapman died at the Northwest Community Continuing Care Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

References

External links

* 1923 births 1994 deaths Politicians from Chicago People from Arlington Heights, Illinois People from Fairhope, Alabama Chicago State University alumni Educators from Illinois 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators Women state legislators in Illinois School board members in Illinois Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century Illinois politicians {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub