Timothy C. Evans

Timothy C. Evans (born June 1, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, former alderman and the current Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court. Evans is noted as the first African-American Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.[1] A graduate of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Evans was first elected to the bench in 1992, and was selected by his fellow judges as Chief Judge in 2001.

Timothy C. Evans
Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court
Assumed office
September 2001
Preceded byDonald O'Connell
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 4th ward
In office
November 1973 – May 1991
Preceded byClaude Holman
Succeeded byToni Preckwinkle
Personal details
Born (1943-06-01) June 1, 1943
Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Thelma Evans
​
(m. 1969)​
ChildrenTwo
ResidenceChicago, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Illinois (B.S.)
John Marshall Law School (J.D.)

Biography

Early life and education

Born the middle of three children in Hot Springs, Arkansas to George and Tiny Marie Evans, his family relocated to Chicago sometime during the great migration. Having attended elementary school in Arkansas, Evans attended Hirsch Metropolitan High School; graduating in 1961.[2] After high school, Evans went on to study at Illinois State University,[3] and later transferred to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he graduated with a BS in zoology. Evans earned his law degree at John Marshall Law School in 1969 and joined the Democratic Party.

Alderman (1973–1991)

Evans was elected alderman of the city's south side 4th Ward in a November 27, 1973 special election[4] to fill the vacancy created six months earlier by the death of Ald. Claude Holman on June 1, 1973.[5] Evans defeated Hattie B. Kay Williams, a 50-year-old executive of the Girl Scouts and civil rights activist by a vote of 6,784 to 3,136.[6][7][8][9]

An ally of mayors Daley, Bilandic, Byrne and Washington, Evans served as floor leader and Chicago City Council Finance Chair during Harold Washington's mayoral administration. Following Washington's death, Evans sought to fill Washington's unexpired term. The Chicago City Council voted to choose Alderman Eugene Sawyer to serve in the interim. Evans continued to serve as alderman. Evans ran as an independent candidate during a special election was held for Mayor of Chicago to fill Washington's term in 1989. Evans received 482,000 votes but eventually lost to Richard M. Daley, son of former multi-term mayor Richard J. Daley.[10] After 18 years in office, in 1991 Evans was defeated for re-election as alderman in the 4th Ward by Toni Preckwinkle.[11]

Cook County Circuit Judge

In 1992, Evans was elected to the bench as judge of Cook County Circuit Court.[1][12][13] In September 2001, Evans was elected as the first black Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court succeeding Donald O'Connell.[1][14][15]

Personal

Evans has been married to his wife Thelma Evans since November 1969.[16] Evans met his wife during his time at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[16] Together, they have two twin daughters; Cynthia and Catherine Evans[17][16] (b. 1970 or 1971). Evans was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2010.

References
  1. Timothy Evans Elected Chief Judge Of Circuit Court In Cook County, IL | Jet | Find Articles at BNET
  2. 1961 Hirsch Metropolitan High School (Chicago, Illinois) Yearbook
  3. Chicago Defender - Chief Judge Tim Evans: Brings Transparency to Cook County Circuit Courts - February 17, 2016
  4. . (1973-11-26). "Special vote called to fill vacancies; Aldermanic elections are scheduled tomorrow in 4 wards". Chicago Tribune. p. B20. Retrieved 2008-12-11.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "Ald. Claude Holman dies at 69". Chicago Tribune. 1973-06-01. p. B16. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  6. Fremon, David K. (1988). "4th Ward". Chicago politics, ward by ward. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 40–45. ISBN 978-0-253-31344-7.
  7. "4 newly elected aldermen may take seats tomorrow". Chicago Tribune. 1973-11-29. p. B14. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  8. "Newest aldermen welcomed". Chicago Tribune. 1973-12-01. p. 14. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  9. Jackson, James A. (1973-12-06). "Rookies have diverse backgrounds; 2 young black aldermen tell plans". Chicago Tribune. p. S4. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  10. "Election Results for 1989 Special Election, Mayor, Chicago, Illinois".
  11. Joravsky, Ben; Dumke, Mick. "Toni Preckwinkle, 4th Ward (Your Chicago City Council: Our guide to all 50 aldermen)". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  12. "Judicial contests". Chicago Tribune. 1992-03-19. p. 23. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  13. "Council warriors: Where are they now?". Chicago Sun-Times. 1992-11-22. p. 44. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  14. "Evans elected first Black Chief Judge". Chicago Defender. HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
  15. Sneed, Michael (August 28, 2001). "Scoopsville". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 4 – via NewsBank subscription from Chicago Public Library.
  16. Chicago Tribune - Timothy Evans - March 3, 1989
  17. Chicago Sun-Times - HE WATCHDOGS: Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans has his two daughters on payroll - October 22, 2012
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