Geoffrey R. Stone: Remembering Abner J. Mikva

Remembering Abner J. Mikva, One Of America’s Most Dedicated And Inspriring Public Servants

The Hon. Abner J. Mikva grew up in Milwaukee during the Depression. After serving as a navigator in World War II, he attended college and then entered the University of Chicago as a law student in 1948.

In his application for admission to law school, Ab declared: “I am fired up with an ambition and a desire to do well in a field of endeavor in which I can apply my reasoning powers as well as the formal education I have acquired. The logical answer is law.” Ab emphasized, however, that although “my plans for applying the training of law are not yet crystallized, I have a desire to enter public service.”

Inspired by the idealism of Democratic reform candidates Adlai Stevenson and Paul Douglas, who were running for Governor and Senator respectively in Illinois in 1948, Ab, a first-year law student, decided to volunteer to do some election work in Chicago’s 8th Ward. This led to an exchange with a ward committeeman that demonstrated the conflicting worlds of an entrenched political organization and an idealistic young liberal: 

“Who sent you?” asked the committeeman.
“Nobody.”
“We don’t want nobody nobody sent. We ain’t got no jobs.”
“I don’t want a job,” said Ab.
“We don’t want nobody that don’t want a job. Where are you from anyway?”
“University of Chicago.”
“We don’t want nobody from the University of Chicago in this organization.”

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