Frank Annunzio

Frank Annunzio
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois
In office
January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1993
Preceded byRoland V. Libonati
Succeeded byDan Rostenkowski (Redistricting)
Constituency7th District (1965-1973)
11th District (1973-1993)
Chair of the House Administration Committee
In office
September 4, 1984 – January 3, 1993
Preceded byAugustus Hawkins
Succeeded byCharlie Rose
Personal details
Born(1915-01-12)January 12, 1915
DiedApril 8, 2001(2001-04-08) (aged 86)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Alma materDePaul University
Professionteacher, labor leader

Frank Annunzio (January 12, 1915 – April 8, 2001)[1] was an American politician from Chicago, Illinois.

Early life and education

Annunzio, an Italian-American, was born in Chicago, where he remained for his entire childhood and much of his adult life. As a boy, he worked as a shoeshiner at the Hull House settlement. He attended Crane Technical High School and DePaul University.[2]

Career

Annunzio had careers as a high school teacher and labor leader of the United Steelworkers of America.[3] Under governor Adlai Stevenson II, he served as the state's Secretary of Labor from 1949 to 1952.[4]

In 1964, Annunzio was elected to the United States House of Representatives from a district in Chicago as a member of the United States Democratic Party. He was re-elected 13 times and served from 1965 to 1993, deciding not to run for reelection in 1992.[4] He was chairman of several committees including the House Administration Committee during his later terms in congress, and was particularly notable for serving on a subcommittee for consumer affairs. In 1989, he urged people to burn credit cards in order to drive down interest rates and stop themselves from going into debt.[5]

Personal life

Annunzio died in 2001 in Chicago from complications arising from Parkinson's disease and was interred in the Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

References

  1. ^ "Frank Annunzio, 86, Longtime Chicago Democratic Congressman (Published 2001)". 2001-04-17. Archived from the original on 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  2. ^ "Congressman Frank Annunzio papers". University of Illinois Chicago - Special Collections & University Archives. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ^ Candeloro, Dominic (2003). Chicago's Italians: Immigrants, Ethnics, Americans p.122. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2456-6.
  4. ^ a b Grady, William (April 9, 2001). "Frank Annunzio, 86". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (2001-04-09). "Frank Annunzio; Congressman Who Urged Trashing of Credit Cards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-10-03.