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Abner Mikva - Obama in Illinois

Abner Mikva grew up on the south side of Chicago, and began his political career following a one-year clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court. Mikva served in the Illinois legislature from 1956 to 1966 representing the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to January 1973. He was maneuvered out of office due to redistricting, then represented the Evanston area in Congress from 1975 to 1979, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In 1994 he began a one-year hitch as President Bill Clinton's legal advisor. He then returned to Chicago, taught law, and became one of Barack Obama's mentors and early supporters in the late 1990s.

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Interview Excerpt (Audio)

Photos

Caption

Abner Mikva poses for a picture with Senator Barack Obama and Newton Minow. The picture is signed by Senator Obama and reads, “Thanks for your friendship, counsel, and encouragement all these years

Where:

Unknown

When:

Unknown

Ownership:

This image is considered to be in the public domain.

Caption

In November 2014 Judge Mikva received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his former protégé, President Barack Obama, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Where:

Washington, D.C.

When:

November 2014

Ownership:

This image is considered to be in the public domain.