U.S. House wants citizenship for Casimir Pulaski

WASHINGTON - Casimir Pulaski is a step closer to becoming a citizen, even though the Revolutionary War hero died in 1779,

The U.S. House voted unanimously Thursday to make Pulaski an honorary citizen of the United States.

Polish-born military officer Casimir Pulaski fought on the side of the Americans against the British in the Revolutionary War.

"He's been an inspiration for the Polish community and Americans of all stripes ever since, and he rightly deserves to be remembered as an honorary American citizen," Wheaton Republican Rep. Peter Roskam said in a statement of support for the bill, which was sponsored by Evanston Democrat Jan Schakowsky and Hinsdale Republican Judy Biggert.

Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city in the world, after Warsaw.

Since 1978, Casimir Pulaski Day has been observed in Illinois on the first Monday of March to celebrate the general's birthday.

A federal holiday, General Pulaski Memorial Day, also commemorates Pulaski's death at the Siege of Savannah on Oct. 11, 1779.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, is now working to get the measure through the U.S. Senate.