James R. Burgess Jr. (1915-1997) was an American attorney from Illinois who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Illinois from 1977-1978 and the Southern District of Illinois from 1978-1982.

Burgess was born December 19, 1915, in Algood, Tennessee.[1] During World War II, Burgess served in the 761st Tank Battalion. After his time in the military, Burgess moved to Champaign to attend the University of Illinois College of Law.[2]

In 1972, he was elected the State's Attorney for Champaign County, Illinois. He was the county's sole Democratic countywide officeholder[3] and the first African-American elected a State's Attorney in Illinois. [1] Burgess lost the 1976 general election to Republican Thomas Difanis.[2]

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Burgess the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Illinois to succeed the late Henry A. Schwartz.[4] In 1978, the Federal District Court Regorganization Act of 1978, replaced Illinois's northern, eastern, and southern districts with a northern, central and southern district. Burgess became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, the same district to which former Eastern District's main courthouse in St. Clair County was situated.[5]

Burgess died June 22, 1997.[2] In 2014, the post office in Champaign, Illinois was named in honor of Burgess.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kacich, Tom (December 20, 2014). "Obama signs bill renaming postal facility - Efforts by late son of honoree pay off at last". The News-Gazette – via NewsBank.
  2. 1 2 3 Kacich, Tom (January 23, 2011). "Man hopes to have courthouse named for father, a military and legal pioneer". The News-Gazette. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ Illinois Blue Book 1973-1974. p. 529. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Jimmy Carter, NOMINATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE Week Ending Friday, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project accessed May 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Federal District Court Regorganization Act of 1978" (PDF). October 2, 1978. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
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