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Longtime Rockford lawmaker Chuck Jefferson has died

Jefferson speaks to the crowd gathered at the dedication of the Booker Washington Center Library in 2018.
Susan Stephens
Jefferson speaks to the crowd gathered at the dedication of the Booker Washington Center Library in 2018.

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A longtime Rockford area lawmaker has died.

Chuck Jefferson served in elected office for 24 years, beginning as a Winnebago County Board member in 1990.

That was followed by 13 years representing the 67th district in the statehouse, where he also served as Assistant Majority Leader for the Democrats.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and Chuck Jefferson share a laugh at the dedication of the library in his honor in 2018.
Susan Stephens
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and Chuck Jefferson share a laugh at the dedication of the library in his honor in 2018.

Litesa Wallace served as Jefferson’s chief of staff when he was in the Illinois House. She was appointed to fill his seat when he stepped down in 2014.

“What stands out most," she said, "is his genuineness and his warm heart.”

“The way he opened his office to anyone who needed assistance," she continued. "His office was not some grandiose ‘state official’ office that you had to feel like you needed a special appointment, or as if you had to completely revere the person whose name was on the door. It was the people's office, and that was because of how genuinely pure his heart was, and the type of service that he felt he owed the community.”

She says she has been talking with people over the past few days surrounding his legacy.

“The theme that continues to come up," Wallace said, "is that he was a traditional and true gentleman."

Wallace says when she succeeded him in office at the Illinois Statehouse, he had put Rockford on the map among state lawmakers.

“In terms of how Springfield viewed the needs of this part of the state," she said, "he absolutely was critical in making sure that Rockford did not get left behind when the state was making budgetary decisions.”

Judge Gwyn Gulley administers the oath of office to Litesa Wallace, with her predecessor Chuck Jefferson. Gulley was the first African American woman elected in Winnebago and Boone Counties. Jefferson helped create judicial sub districts which increased the diversity of the state's judicial system.
Judge Gwyn Gulley administers the oath of office to Litesa Wallace, with her predecessor Chuck Jefferson. Gulley was the first African American woman elected in Winnebago and Boone Counties. Jefferson helped create judicial sub districts which increased the diversity of the state's judicial system.

She said he had a close relationship with Governor Quinn and rose to a leadership role within his party, when downstate lawmakers in his party rarely rose to leadership posts.

She credits his work on policies that transformed Rockford’s downtown corridor.

She also says his mentorship stood out. She said he didn’t view his colleagues, staff, or successors as competition.

“They are people who want to continue down the path that you blaze,” she noted of his mentorship to her. “You don't remove the obstacles on a trail for nobody else to walk it.”

The library at Rockford’s Booker Washington community center and a stretch of roadway on Rockford’s south side were both named for him. Chuck Jefferson was 79.

Susan is an award-winning reporter/writer at her favorite radio station. She's also WNIJ's Perspectives editor, Under Rocks contributor, and local host of All Things Considered.
Jenna Dooley has spent her professional career in public radio. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois - Springfield. She returned to Northern Public Radio in DeKalb after several years hosting Morning Edition at WUIS-FM in Springfield. She is a former "Newsfinder of the Year" from the Illinois Associated Press and recipient of NIU's Donald R. Grubb Journalism Alumni Award. She is an active member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and an adjunct instructor at NIU.