Longtime House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie Passes Away
Former House Minority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who died Friday at the age of 85. (Photo: Associated Press)
Barbara Flynn Currie, the unabashed progressive who represented the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago in the Illinois House for 40 years and served as Majority Leader for 22 years died Friday at the age of 85.
Currie was known for her deep policy knowledge, dry wit, and ability to work with both sides of the aisle while continuing to hold to her liberal policy positions.
From Neil Steinberg at the Sun-Times.
After a vote in the Illinois House on a key part of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s pension relief plan in 2016, Barbara Flynn Currie did something not often seen in these times of divided, dysfunctional government. She crossed the aisle and shook hands with the three Republican lawmakers who broke ranks with the GOP and voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a measure deferring police and fire pension payments.
That was Currie, 85, who died Thursday. She not only represented her Hyde Park district in Springfield for 40 years — 20 as majority leader and the first woman to hold that role in the Illinois General Assembly — she was a tireless promoter of active, engaged, effective government.
Her district encompassed Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore and Kenwood, and she was a vigorous proponent of liberal causes, such as prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace, reforming school funding and offering all-day kindergarten. She spearheaded a compromise on welfare reform and helped extend state contracts to minority- and female-owned businesses.
In 2009, she chaired the special 21-member bipartisan committee that recommended the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
”We stand here today because of the perfidy of one man: Rod Blagojevich,” said Currie. “To overturn the results of an election is not something that should be undertaken lightly.”
Every member of the Illinois House and Senate, save one, voted to impeach.
With women making up a record 32% of state legislatures across the country, it might be difficult to remember the male world that Currie entered. When she was elected in 1978, fewer than 11% of Springfield lawmakers were women. When she announced her retirement in 2017, that figure was more than a third, and in 2025 the Illinois Legislature was 42% female.
Then-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s decision to name her as majority leader in 1997 was unexpected: Downstate Democrats felt they had a hereditary right to the position, didn’t like the powerful post to pass to a Chicagoan, a woman, and perhaps worst of all, a liberal. Women across the spectrum saw it as a milestone.
”Republican women gave me flowers,” Currie later recalled. “Secretaries and staff in the Capitol were thrilled. One of my girlfriends nearly ran her car off the road. The depth of excitement was really quite thrilling.”
Statement from Speaker Chris Welch:
“Everyone who entered the Capitol today walked in the footsteps of Barabra Flynn Currie. As the trailblazing first woman to serve as House Majority Leader, she didn’t just break a glass ceiling—she lifted others up after her. In any room she set foot in, Barbara had the sharpest mind, the quickest wit, and the strongest drive to speak up for what she believed.
“I see the examples of her mentorship every day in the House, and we see the impact of her life’s work every day across the state. Illinois is a safe haven for reproductive rights because of Barbara Flynn Currie. Illinois protects voting rights, values our natural resources, and continues the march for justice because of Barbara Flynn Currie. And the House she joined in 1979 as one of just 21 women is now one of the most diverse and representative chambers in the country because of Barabra Flynn Currie.
“We are living in a state that Barbara Flynn Currie helped to transform—and we are all better for it.”
Statement from Gov. Pritzker:
Barbara Flynn Currie was a trailblazer.
She devoted her life to public service, from advocating for families to ensuring clean air and water for Illinoisans — a leader who tackled each issue with grace.
My condolences to her family and loved ones. May her memory be a blessing.
