Barbara Flynn Currie, a liberal Democrat from the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, represented that district in the Illinois House from January 1979 to her retirement at the end of the 2018 legislative year. Beginning in 1997 she served as the IL House Majority Leader, during an era when Mike Madigan served as Speaker of the House. These interviews cover Currie's early life and her long and distinguished career in the Illinois House from 1979 through 2019. She served during the administrations of Governors Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar, George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner. She headed up the Blagojevich impeachment in 2009 and supervised legislative redistricting following both the 2000 and 2010 census.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Visits From ERA Opponents
Abstract
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
ERA fight in Illinois from 1978 to June, 1982
Interview Session 04 (Audio)
IL House during the early 1980s and Thompson administration
Interview Session 05 (Audio)
IL House during the late 1980s and view of the Thompson administration
Interview Session 06 (Audio)
RUTAN, 1990 redistricting and the Gov. Jim Edgar administration
Interview Session 07 (Audio)
Policy positions in 1990s, redistricting
Interview Session 08 (Audio)
The Gov. Rod Blagojevich administration and IL Senator Barack Obama
Interview Session 09 (Audio)
Blagojevich impeachment, redistricting and Gov. Pat Quinn administration
Interview Session 10 (Audio)
Photos
Caption
Currie’s parents, Frank T. Flynn, Jr. and Elsie Rose Gobel, were married in a Notre Dame University chapel, South Bend, Indiana, December 29, 1934.
Where:
South Bend, Indiana
When:
December 29, 1934
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara Flynn, age four, with her doll in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Where:
La Crosse, Wisconsin
When:
1944
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara with her brothers Frank, Michael, Terry, and sister Patricia in 1952.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1952
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara and her boyfriend and future husband David under the Christmas tree in Chicago, circa 1956 or 1957.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
Circa 1956 or 1957
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara and David visited Macon, Georgia in the summer of 1957 where they spent time with David’s father, his grandmother Rose Lynch Currie, his siblings, and their cousins.
Where:
Macon, Georgia
When:
1957
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara Flynn and David Currie were married at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Chicago, December 29, 1959. With them are Barbara’s brother Frank, mother Elsie Flynn, and David’s parents Elmyr and Brainerd Currie.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
December 29, 1959
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Barbara Flynn Currie takes the oath of office as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives in1987. She was already an experienced legislator by that time.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1987
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Senator John Cullerton and Representative Currie appeared on a cable news show together in the mid-1990s.
Where:
Unknown
When:
mid-1990s
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Barbara, husband David and friends enjoyed the day at a White Sox game at Comiskey Park in 1997. Representative Currie presented a House Resolution to the team in honor of second baseman Nellie Fox’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
1997
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara and David Currie on a holiday in 1998.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1998
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Representative Currie in front of her newly opened district service office on East 53rd Street in Chicago in the late 1990s.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
Late 1990s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara Flynn Currie and Barack Obama marched together on Independence Day, 2001in the 53rd Street Parade in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2001
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Representative Currie with State Senator Barack Obama march down 53rd Street in Hyde Park’s annual Independence Day parade in 2001.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2001
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Currie listens intently to neighborhood schoolchildren in her Chicago district in 2002.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2002
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
A tanned and relaxed Barbara Flynn Currie took this photo in 2002.
Where:
Unknown
When:
2002
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Representative Currie at a book fair with Kenwood Academy High School students in 2005.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2005
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Currie met with Governor Blagojevich in 2006 or 2007, location unknown.
Where:
Unknown
When:
2006 or 2007
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
A frequently used Representative Currie campaign picture.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Barbara and her son, Stephen Currie, with Barack and Michelle Obama at a White House Christmas party in 2009.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Currie with ‘The Wolf,’ the mascot for the radio station 101.9 at the Illinois State Fair in 2014.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2014
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Representative Currie received a 100% rating from the Illinois Environmental Council in 2014. She was a prominent advocate for environmental issues during her entire career.
Where:
Unknown
When:
2014
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Barbara Flynn Currie received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Environmental Council, October 2, 2014, presented by Allen Grosboll and Jen Walling.
Where:
Unknown
When:
October 2, 2014
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Currie attended the July, 2016, Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where Hillary Clinton was nominated as the Democratic candidate for president.
Where:
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania
When:
July, 2016
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Currie with Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan at a retirement party in her honor hosted at Montgomery Place in Chicago, fall 2018.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
fall 2018
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Currie with Attorney General Lisa Madigan (right) and another friend at the Montgomery Place party, fall 2018.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2018
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Fifth Ward Alderwoman Leslie Hairston and Barbara Flynn Currie both enjoyed mugging for the camera, Chicago in the fall of 2018.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
2018
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo