Don Harmon | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Harmon in 2010 | |
| 39thPresident of the Illinois Senate | |
| Assumed office January 19, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | John Cullerton |
| President pro tempore of theIllinois Senate | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Bill Cunningham (2020) |
| Member of theIllinois Senate from the 39th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Cronin (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-11-26)November 26, 1966 (age 59) Oak Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Knox College (BA) University of Chicago (JD,MBA) |
Don Harmon (born November 26, 1966) is an American attorney and president of theIllinois Senate since 2020. A member of theDemocratic party, he has represented 39th Senate District since 2003. His district includes Chicago'sAustin neighborhood and the suburbs ofOak Park,Addison,Bensenville,Elmwood Park,Franklin Park,Melrose Park,Northlake,River Grove,Rosemont,Schiller Park, andStone Park.[1]
In January 2009, incoming Illinois Senate PresidentJohn Cullerton appointed Harmon the State Senate's Assistant Majority Leader. Harmon was appointed Illinois Senate President Pro Tempore in 2011.[2] In January 2019, Harmon lost that title when Cullerton retired the President Pro Tempore leadership position.[3] Harmon was later elected to succeed Cullerton as President of the Illinois Senate on January 19, 2020.[4]
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Don Harmon" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Harmon was born and raised in Oak Park where he attended St. Giles Grade School. He graduated fromSt. Ignatius College Prep on Chicago's West Side;Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and theUniversity of Chicago (J.D. and M.B.A.). After law school, Harmon served in Springfield on the House legal staff.
Harmon was a partner at the Chicago-based law firm Burke, Burns & Pinelli until he stepped down from the firm in January 2020.
In August 2000, Don Harmon was nominated by members of the Democratic Party of Oak Park to fulfill the term of former Illinois Senate President Phil Rock as Oak Park Democratic Committeeman. He was then elected to his first full term as Committeeman in 2002 and has since been re-elected in 2006 and 2010. In 2010, Harmon was elected to serve as the Suburban Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Cook County.
Harmon supports gun control and is a supporter of a bill to ban assault weapons in 2023.[5]
First elected in the fall of 2002, Harmon served alongside then-State Senator and now former U.S. PresidentBarack Obama.
In the State Senate, Harmon voted for a bill that allows government to charge citizens for Freedom of Information Act requests. Critics of the bill argued it weakens the public's ability to receive information from the government.[6] The bill passed with dissenting votes from Democrats and Republicans.
Harmon introduced legislation to legalize sports betting in Illinois. The bill "would allow wagering on professional and collegiate sports," according to one report.[7]
Harmon sponsored legislation creating the Illinois Early Learning Council to create policy recommendations regarding the education of children from birth to age five. The result of that effort was the Pre-School for All program implemented throughout the state.He also authored the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003 to prohibit discriminatory policies by state, county or local governments, and to preserve for Illinois citizens civil rights protections eroded by recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions.
Additionally he helped pass legislation to eliminate two obsolete taxing districts-the Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District and the Cicero Township Trustee of Schools saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
As of July 2022, Senator Harmon is a member of the following Illinois Senate committees:[8]
On September 24, 2019, federal authorities raided the offices of State SenatorMartin Sandoval. Among the documents seized were documents from Harmon's law firm, Burke, Burns & Pinelli. TheChicago Sun-Times reported that his firm "represents numerous government agencies in the Chicago region, including theVillage of Lyons, where the mayor is Chris Getty. The Lyons village hall and Getty’s private insurance offices were visited September 26 by federal agents."[9] When asked about the raided documents, Harmon responded, "I have absolutely no idea to what that refers."[10] Sandoval resigned from the Illinois Senate on November 27, 2019.[11]
In 2017, theChicago Sun-Times reported on Harmon's dual role as legislator and as an attorney handling state clients.[12] A 2012 report alleges that Harmon refused to answer questions connected to his law practice.[13]
In 2019, another report by theChicago Sun-Times highlighted the relationship between Harmon's firm and clout-heavy lobbyistFrank Cortese. Cortese is a close affiliate of convicted Teamsters bossJohn Coli. TheSun-Times revealed that Cortese set up a lobbying business "with the help of a clout-heavy law firm of Burke Burns & Pinelli, whose attorneys have donated heavily to Madigan’s campaigns over the years. Among the partners at the firm: state Sen. Don Harmon, who is vying to replace the retiring Cullerton as Illinois Senate president."[14]
| Illinois Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | President pro tempore of theIllinois Senate 2011–2019 | Vacant Title next held by Bill Cunningham2020 |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Illinois Senate 2020–present | Incumbent |
 | ||