June 16 Illinois History Minute

It’s June 16, which marks the passage in 1955 of Illinois’ first Reapportionment Act in more than 50 years. For decades, Illinois refused to redraw legislative districts to reflect its growing urban population. The new reapportionment law finally did that for the Illinois House --- but not for the state Senate, essentially giving its control to downstate lawmakers. That arrangement wouldn’t last though, due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the 1960s that applied the principle of “one person one vote” to state legislatures.

Opera singer Jerry Hadley was born on this day in 1952. He grew up on a central Illinois farm, and later in Peoria. Hadley sang in a country band as a young man, and was not drawn to opera until college.