Jeanne C. Hurley Simon (May 10, 1922 – February 20, 2000) was the first wife of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and the mother of former Illinois Lieutenant Governor

Sheila Simon Sheila J. Simon (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to Republican incumbent Jud ...

, was a state and national public official in her own right.

Early life and career

Born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Simon moved to Chicago's North Shore, graduating from

New Trier High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school, with its main campus for sophomores through seniors located in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, and a campus in Northfield, Illinoi ...

. She then attended

Barat College Barat College of the Sacred Heart was a small Catholic college located in Lake Forest, Illinois, north of Chicago. The college was named after Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Barat College was purchased by De ...

. After receiving her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, she attended law school at

Northwestern University School of Law Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...

. She was admitted to the Illinois bar and practiced law including work as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney.'Illinois Blue Book 1959–1960, Biographical Sketch of Jeanne C. Hurley, p. 216

Illinois House of Representatives

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

from 1957 to 1961. A supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, Hurley was a member of the Catholic Interracial Council and the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. On April 21, 1960 she married fellow State Assemblyman Paul Simon, thus becoming the first two sitting members of that body that were married to each other. She did not seek reelection, later becoming a mother to Sheila and Martin Simon, a lawyer, an author, and supporting her husband when he served as the state's lieutenant governor from 1969 to 1973, during his failed gubernatorial bid in 1972, and his terms as congressman and United States Senator until 1997.

Later career

In recognition of her lifelong advocacy of libraries and literacy, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

appointed her in 1993 and 1997 to two terms as

chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the

National Commission on Libraries and Information Science The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) was an agency in the United States government between 1970 and 2008. The activities of the Commission were consolidated into the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Record ...

, in which she served until her death from brain cancer on February 20, 2000, at the age of 77, at her home, in

Makanda, Illinois Makanda is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 547, down from 561 in 2010. In the early 20th Century it used the slogan "Star of Egypt." Makanda is part of the Carbondale, ...

. A decade after her death, her daughter Sheila became Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

References

External links

''Booknotes'' interview with Jeanne Simon on ''Codename: ScarlettLife on the Campaign Trail by the Wife of a Presidential Candidate'', July 23, 1989.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Jeanne Hurley 1922 births 2000 deaths Politicians from Chicago People from Madison County, Illinois Barat College alumni Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Illinois lawyers Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Deaths from brain tumor Women state legislators in Illinois 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians People from Jackson County, Illinois 20th-century American lawyers