Sen. Charles Percy 1919-2011

The bigger picture shows Governor Reagan and Sen. Chuck Percy at the opening of Melick Library at Eureka College in 1967. (Image Credit: Art Shay)

A giant of Illinois politics was lost last night with the death of former U.S. Sen. Charles Percy. Mr. Percy had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for many years.

Mr. Percy was elected Senator in 1966, months after the murder of his daughter Valerie - a murder that was never solved. Prior to being elected Senator, Mr. Percy was chairman of film projector company Bell & Howell, a position he assumed at the age of 29 in 1947. Upon his election, Mr. Percy assumed the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Foreign relations Committee.

A moderate Republican, Mr. Percy had Presidential aspirations but they were thwarted by the more conservative elements in the Republican Party at the time, notably President Richard M. Nixon. His Senate career was bookended by defeating one Illinois Democratic icon, Paul Douglas, and losing to another, Paul Simon.

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By Chuck Sudo in News on September 17, 2011 10:50 AM

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ScooterLibbby

He was a vicious anti-Semite. During his last campaign, he denied it, but after he lost, he became the head of a made up Arab-American friendship group, set up by the Saudis & that group has not been heard from since.
His wife is the real murderer of his daughter, her stepdaughter & he helped to cover it up.
He opposed the Sanitary District's Deep Tunnel, but never really had any reasons for that.
When did you ever hear of a US senator opposing hundreds of millions in federal money flowing into your own state? During the early stages, the feds were supplying something like 67% of the Deep Tunnel money.
He won't be missed.