Illinois’ 13th Senate district is one of 59 districts in the Illinois Senate. The seat stretches along the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan, from Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to the Indiana border. The seat is home to several Chicago landmarks, including Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Grant Park, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, Soldier Field, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the University of Chicago. Neighborhoods located within its boundaries include Streeterville and the South Side communities of Kenwood, Hyde Park, and South Chicago.
The 13th district is home to 119,000 Black residents, who comprise a majority of the seat’s 217,000 total inhabitants. In recent years, this has made the seat a launching pad for several Black elected officials in Illinois. Notable examples include former President Barack Obama, who springboarded from this seat to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and state Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who represented the district from 2004 to 2019.
Democrats have held this seat with ease for more than six decades. In 2020, Joe Biden (who spent eight years as Obama’s vice president) carried it by an 89%-10% margin over Donald Trump.
Legislative district history
Prominent legislators Senators Senator NotesJohn M. Palmer Served as a Major General during the American Civil War (1861–1866)Appointed Military Governor of Kentucky (1865–1866)Elected the 15th Governor of Illinois (1869–1873)Elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois (1891–1897)National Democratic Party nominee in the 1896 United States presidential electionDawn Clark Netsch Elected the 4th Illinois Comptroller (1991–1995)Democratic Party nominee in the 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election Richard H. Newhouse Jr. First African American person to run for Mayor of Chicago in the 1975 Chicago mayoral electionBarack Obama Elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois (2005–2008)Elected the 44th President of the United States (2009–2017)Kwame Raoul Elected the 42nd Illinois Attorney General (2019–present)
Representatives Representative NotesLyman Beecher Ray Elected the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1889–1893)Seymour Stedman Vice-Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America during the 1920 United States presidential electionGotthard A. Dahlberg Served as the 46th Speaker of the Illinois House (1921–1923)Stanley H. Kunz Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district (1921–1931)Elected back to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district (1932–1933) James Herbert Wilkerson Appointed Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (1922–1948) Elmer Jacob Schnackenberg Appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1953–1968)Jesse White Served as the 37th Illinois Secretary of State (1999–2023)
List of senators 1849 – 1871 Senator Party Years General Assembly (GA) Electoral history Counties representedFranklin WittDemocraticJanuary 1, 1849 –??? 16thElected in 1848Left the 17th General Assembly at an unknown time.CalhounGreeneJerseyMacoupin17thJohn M. Palmer??? –January 1, 1855Served in the 17th GARedistricted to the 14th Legislative district and re-elected in 1854. 18th Hugh L. Sutphin January 1, 1855 –January 3, 1859 19th20th Elected in 1854Was not re-elected in 1858.CalhounPikeScottChauncey L. Higbee January 3, 1859 –January 5, 1863 21st22nd Elected in 1858Was not re-elected in 1862. Bryant T. Schofield January 5, 1863 –January 7, 1867 23rd24th Elected in 1862Was not re-elected in 1866.AdamsHancock Samuel R. Chittenden January 7, 1867 –January 4, 1871 25th26th Elected in 1866Was not re-elected in 1870.Apportionment of 1870 gave the district two senators to elect cumulatively.
1871 – 1873 Senator Party Party Control Years General Assembly (GA) Electoral history Counties representedApportionment of 1870 gave the district two senators to elect cumulatively. James H. RichardsonDemocratic2 DemocratsJanuary 4, 1871 –January 8, 187327thElected in 1870Was not re-elected in 1872.AdamsHancock Jesse C. WilliamsApportionment of 1872 now gives the district one senator and three representatives to elect. 1873–present Senator Party Years General Assembly (GA) Electoral history Counties representedApportionment of 1872 now gives the district one senator and three representatives to elect. Miles B. CastleRepublican January 8, 1873 –January 8, 1879 28th29th30th Elected in 1872Re-elected in 1874Was not re-elected in 1878.DeKalbGrundyKendall John R. Marshall January 8, 1879 –January 3, 1883 31st32nd Elected in 1878Was not re-elected in 1882. Millard B. HereleyDemocratic January 3, 1883 –January 5, 1887 33rd34th Elected in 1882Was not re-elected in 1886.Cook Michael F. GarrityRepublican January 5, 1887 –January 7, 1891 35th36th Elected in 1886Lost re-election in 1890. John F. O'MalleyDemocratic January 7, 1891 –January 2, 1895 37th38th Elected in 1890Was not re-elected in 1894. Joseph P. Mahoney January 2, 1895 –January 7, 1903 39th40th41st42nd Redistricted from the 5th Legislative district and re-elected in 1894Re-elected in 1898Was not re-elected in 1902. Albert C. ClarkRepublican January 7, 1903 –January 6, 1915 43rd44th45th46th47th48th Elected in 1902Re-elected in 1906Re-elected in 1910Retired.John A. SwansonJanuary 6, 1915 –1917 49thElected in 1914Resigned to become a judge in 1917.50thVacant 1917 –April 1917 Albert C. ClarkRepublican April 1917 –January 5, 1927 50th51st52nd53rd54th Elected back in 1917 special electionRe-elected in 1918Re-elected in 1922Retired. Harry W. Starr January 5, 1927 –January 7, 1931 55th56th Elected in 1926Lost re-election in 1930. Francis J. LoughranDemocratic January 7, 1931 –January 6, 1943 57th58th59th60th61st62nd Elected in 1930Re-elected in 1934Re-elected in 1938Lost re-election in 1942. Walker ButlerRepublican January 6, 1943 –1953/1954 63rd64th65th66th67th68th Elected in 1942Re-elected in 1946Re-elected in 1950Resigned after being elected a judge of the Superior Court of Cook County in 1953.Vacant 1953/1954 –January 5, 1955 68th Daniel DoughertyDemocratic January 5, 1955 –January 4, 1967 69th70th71st72nd73rd74th Elected in 1954Re-elected in 1958Re-elected in 1962Re-districted to the 30th Legislative district and re-elected in 1966. James P. Loukas January 4, 1967 –January 13, 1971 75th76th Elected in 1966Retired. Ben E. Palmer January 13, 1971 –January 10, 1973 77th Elected in 1970Redistricted to the 12th Legislative district and re-elected in 1972.Dawn Clark Netsch January 10, 1973 –January 12, 1983 78th79th80th81st82nd Elected in 1972Re-elected in 1974Re-elected in 1978Redistricted to the 4th Legislative district and re-elected in 1982. Richard H. Newhouse Jr. January 12, 1983 –May 29, 1991 83rd84th85th86th87th Redistricted from the 24th Legislative district and re-elected in 1982Re-elected in 1984Re-elected in 1988Resigned in 1991.Vacant May 29, 1991 –June 6, 1991 87th Alice PalmerDemocratic June 6, 1991 –January 8, 1997 87th88th89th Appointed in 1991Elected in 1992Failed to qualify for nomination and lost renomination in 1996.Barack Obama January 8, 1997 –November 4, 2004 90th91st92nd93rd Elected in 1996Re-elected in 1998Re-elected in 2002Elected U.S. Senator from Illinois and resigned his state senate seat in 2004.Vacant November 4, 2004 –November 6, 2004 93rdKwame RaoulDemocratic November 6, 2004 –January 5, 2019 93rd94th95th96th97th98th99th100th Appointed in 2004Elected in 2006Re-elected in 2010Re-elected in 2012Re-elected in 2016Elected Illinois Attorney General in 2018.Vacant January 5, 2019 –January 6, 2019 100th Robert PetersDemocratic January 6, 2019 –present 100th101st Appointed in 2019Elected in 2020
Senator election results
2020 – 2012
2010 – 2002
2000 – 1992
1990 – 1982
1980 – 1972
1970 – 1962
1960 – 1952
1950 – 1942
1940 – 1932
1930 – 1922
1920 – 1912
1910 – 1902
1900 – 1892
1890 – 1882
1880 – 1872
Historical list of representatives 1873 – 1957