Tyrone C. Fahner | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1981 | |
| 37thAttorney General of Illinois | |
| In office July 29, 1980 – January 12, 1983 | |
| Governor | Jim Thompson |
| Preceded by | William Scott |
| Succeeded by | Neil Hartigan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tyrone Clarence Fahner (1942-11-18)November 18, 1942 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2024(2024-09-16) (aged 81) Northfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | |
Tyrone Clarence Fahner (/ˈfeɪnər/FAY-nər;[1] November 18, 1942 – September 16, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he served asIllinois Attorney General from 1980 until 1983. He was appointed to the position by GovernorJames R. Thompson after the incumbent,William Scott, had been convicted of a tax crime, which disqualified him from office.
Tyrone Clarence Fahner[2] was born on November 18, 1942, inDetroit,Michigan,[3] to Warren Fahner, aChrysler employee, and Alma (Newman) Fahner, who worked atMichigan Bell as a telephone operator.[4]
Fahner graduated fromDenby High School in 1961 and became a student at theUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was a member of theDelta Tau Delta fraternity.[4] He received hisB.A. from the University of Michigan in 1965, hisJ.D. fromWayne State University Law School in 1968, and anLL.M. fromNorthwestern University School of Law in 1971.[3][4]
In the early 1970s, after a short period in private practice, Fahner became anAssistant U.S. Attorney in theU.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, serving under then-U.S. AttorneyJames R. (Jim) Thompson.[4] Fahner left that office to work for thelaw firm of Freeman, Rothe, Freeman & Salzman inChicago from 1975 to 1977.[3]
When Thompson was electedgovernor of Illinois in 1977 he selected Fahner to serve as his director of the Illinois Department of Law Enforcement, a post which Thompson held until 1979.[4][3]
In 1980, Thompson appointed Fahner to serve asIllinois Attorney General, filling the vacancy created after Attorney GeneralWilliam J. Scott was convicted oftax evasion.[4] Fahner ran for a full term as attorney general, but was defeated byDemocratic candidateNeil Hartigan in the 1982 election.[4]
After leaving office in 1983, Fahner returned to private practice, joining thelaw firmMayer Brown LLP as a partner.[4][5][3][6] Fahner served on the firm's management committee from 1985 to 2007, and was its co-chairman from 1998 to 2001 and its chairman from 2001 to 2007.[7]
In 2015, Fahner wrote a letter to U.S. District JudgeThomas M. Durkin urging a lenient sentence for formerHouse SpeakerDennis Hastert, who had pleaded guilty to unlawfullystructuring bank withdrawals to avoidreporting requirements. (Hastert had made secret payments to a man whom he hadsexually abused decades earlier, when Hastert was a high school teacher and coach.)[8] Fahner referred to Hastert as "a kind, strong, principled, and unselfish man" and wrote: "I urge the court to permit him to live the rest of his life in freedom with his family and friends, and all those who love and admire him."[8] Fahner subsequently said that it was a mistake for him to use Mayer Brown firmletterhead for the letter.[9]
In the2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, Fahner was a delegate pledged to thepresidential campaign ofJeb Bush.[10]
In 1988,Ronald Reagan appointed Fahner to theBoard of Foreign Scholarships, for a term ending in 1991.[3]
Fahner joined the board of trustees of theShedd Aquarium in 2004, and became the chairman of the board in 2012.[6] Fahner was president of the civic committee of theCommercial Club of Chicago.[11]
Fahner was married to Anne Fahner.[12] The family lived inEvanston for many years before moving toNorthfield in 2014.[12]
Fahner died in Northfield on September 16, 2024, at the age of 81.[13][14]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forAttorney General of Illinois 1982 | Succeeded by James T. Ryan |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Illinois 1980–1983 | Succeeded by |
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