Jeremiah E. Joyce (born January 3, 1943) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer and politician.

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Joyce received his bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University, his masters from Chicago State University, and his J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law.

Career

Early in his career, he was a history teacher, a Chicago police officer, and an assistant state's attorney for the criminal division of the Cook County State's Attorney. He also worked as an adjutant at

Saint Xavier College Saint Xavier University (or SXU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university enrolls 3,749 students. History Saint Xavier University was founded as a women's college by ...

and the John Marshall Law School. He served on the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

as an alderman from the 19th ward from April 1, 1975, until resigning to become state senator on February 1, 1979. He served on the Illinois State Senate from 1979 to 1993 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. In 1999, Joyce was appointed to the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees where he served until 2001. He has worked on the campaigns of

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...

, Dan Rostenkowski, Thomas Hynes, Michael Sheahan and

Dawn Clark Netsch Dawn Clark Netsch (September 16, 1926 – March 5, 2013) was an American professor of law at Northwestern University and an Illinois politician. A member of the Democratic Party in the United States, she served in the Illinois State Senate fr ...

. Ahead of the

1987 Chicago mayoral election File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, Joyce indicated his intention to run for the Republican nomination for mayor, but ultimately did not run.

Personal life

He has four sons: Dan, Kevin who served in the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

, Jeremiah Joyce, Jr. who ran for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 mayoral election, and Mike who runs the Celtic Boxing Club and is married to

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

's daughter Jamillah.

Notes

1943 births Living people Lawyers from Chicago Northern Illinois University alumni Chicago State University alumni DePaul University College of Law alumni Chicago City Council members Democratic Party Illinois state senators {{Illinois-statesenator-stub