Harry "Bus" Yourell (February 19, 1919 – September 19, 2011) was an American politician. Yourell was born in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

on February 27, 1919. He attended high school in Chicago and

La Salle Extension University La Salle Extension University (LSEUDe Sola, Ralph (1981). ''Abbreviations dictionary.'' Elsevier, ), also styled as LaSalle Extension University,The university styled its name as both "La Salle" and "LaSalle" in print mediahttp://aycu21.webshots.c ...

. 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. After the war, Yourell moved to

Oak Lawn, Illinois Oak Lawn is a Village (Illinois), village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58,362 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Oak Lawn is a suburb of Chicago, located southwest of the city. It ...

and opened Bus' Drive In. From 1959 to 1963 he served as a Trustee for the Village of Oak Lawn. He was involved with the Worth Township Regular Democratic Club and at the time of his election to 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 ...

was the Democratic Committeeman of Worth Township. In 1966, Yourell was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as one of three members from the 6th District. The district at that time included all of Worth Township and Calumet Township, and portions of Stickney and Thornton townships. During his time in the House, he was the Chair of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. 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 in favor of single members districts resulting in a large number of incumbent versus incumbent elections. In the 1982 general election, Yourell defeated

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 agains ...

incumbent Herb Huskey. In 1983, Yourell was chosen to serve as the Democratic Caucus Chairman. Yourell served as the

Cook County Recorder of Deeds The Cook County Recorder of Deeds was the recorder of deeds of county government in Cook County, Illinois until the position's abolishment in 2020. History of office The office was established in December 1872. Before this, the Clerk of the Cir ...

from 1984 to 1988. Yourell was elected a commissioner of the

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...

in 1988 and re-elected in 1994 and 2000. Yourell resigned from the

on November 30, 2006. Yourell died at the Alexis Brothers Medical Center in

Elk Grove Village, Illinois Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorporat ...

. Yourell was active in the Democratic Party and served as involved with the Worth Township Regular Democratic Club. Yourell was the Democratic Committeeman of Worth Township at the time of his election to the Illinois House of Representatives. Yourell was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, and

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

Notes

1919 births 2011 deaths People from Hammond, Indiana People from Oak Lawn, Illinois Military personnel from Indiana Businesspeople from Illinois La Salle Extension University alumni Cook County Recorders of Deeds Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century American businesspeople {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub

See also

Notes