Bill Text: IL HR0924 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Ty Fahner.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-11-20 - Resolution Adopted [HR0924 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0924-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Ty
Fahner, who passed away on September 16, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Tyrone Clarence "Ty" Fahner came to Illinois as a
young lawyer, earning a Master of Laws from Northwestern
University in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Ty Fahner became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in
Chicago, working in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the
Northern District of Illinois, Jim Thompson; and
WHEREAS, As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ty Fahner
successfully prosecuted more than 250 criminals, including
international drug dealers, bank robbers, corrupt public
officials, and figures from organized crime; and
WHEREAS, Ty Fahner then worked in high-level Chicago
private practice from 1975 into 1977; and
WHEREAS, When Jim Thompson took office as Governor of
Illinois in 1977, he selected Ty Fahner to be his first
Director of the Department of Law Enforcement, a position
equivalent to today's Director of the Illinois State Police;

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and
WHEREAS, In 1980, then Illinois Attorney General William
J. Scott departed from that position to run for another office
and fight criminal charges against himself; Jim Thompson
responded to this vacancy by appointing Ty Fahner to serve as
the 37th Attorney General of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Both as Director of Law Enforcement and as
Attorney General, Ty Fahner focused on the growing crimes of
organized, non-street-level drug trafficking and Medicaid
fraud; the units within the State Police and the Office of the
Attorney General that concentrate on these areas of criminal
offense trace their inceptions back to initiatives begun or
championed by him; and
WHEREAS, In September 1982, while Ty Fahner was Attorney
General, the Chicago area was convulsed with fear when an
unknown person repeatedly tampered with packages of a familiar
over-the-counter pain analgesic, Tylenol; after at least seven
victims died of cyanide poisoning, it became clear that much
greater coordination between local, State, and national law
enforcement would be required; as Attorney General, Ty Fahner
took initial steps to expand this coordination; and
WHEREAS, After serving as Attorney General, Ty Fahner

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moved back to the Chicago private practice of law, this time
serving with Mayer, Brown & Platt, now Mayer Brown LLP; he was
selected to serve on Mayer Brown's management committee in
1985, rising to chairman of the firm in 2001; and
WHEREAS, At Mayer Brown, Ty Fahner worked closely with
rising young practitioners; Lori Lightfoot, who would go on to
be the 56th Mayor of Chicago, has publicly credited Ty Fahner
with being a mentor at Mayer Brown; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his law practice and executive
responsibilities, Ty Fahner accepted an appointment from
President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Fulbright Scholarship
Board, an advisory panel of the U.S. State Department, in
1988; and
WHEREAS, As a Chicago civic benefactor, Ty Fahner
concentrated on the cause of Chicago's Shedd Aquarium; he was
selected to serve on the Aquarium board in 2004 and became
chairman of the board in 2012; and
WHEREAS, As a civic leader, Ty Fahner concentrated on his
work as president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial
Club of Chicago; under his leadership, this committee became a
leader in the effort to get the State of Illinois to narrow its
structural budget deficit, to address the significant pension

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obligations of the State of Illinois and the city of Chicago,
to ensure that critical government services could be provided,
and to position Illinois for economic growth; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Ty Fahner and the people
who worked with him, a report was released that identified key
steps that the State of Illinois should take to restore fiscal
stability and position the State for long-term economic
prosperity; and
WHEREAS, Ty Fahner and his wife, Anne Fahner, developed
lifelong ties with the Chicago region, raising their children,
Maggie, Dan, and Molly, there; and
WHEREAS, Ty Fahner died at his Northfield home on
September 16, 2024 at age 81; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn the passing of Tyrone Clarence "Ty" Fahner and extend
our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who
knew and loved him; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we honor Ty Fahner's dedication to law
enforcement, fiscal responsibility, and Illinois civic uplift
for the next generation; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That we thank the attorneys and personnel who
worked with Ty Fahner, including the officers of the Illinois
State Police and the law enforcement personnel of the Office
of the Attorney General, who served with him to keep Illinois
safe, starting almost half a century ago; and be it further