DuPage courts to be named for longtime lawmaker

DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom considers the late Congressman Henry Hyde a mentor.

He said Hyde's work set a great example for what a public servant should be.

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, that respect for the man who served as U.S. House Judiciary Committee chairman will be demonstrated even further when the county board names DuPage's judicial office facility in Hyde's honor.

A privately funded monument will be installed within the next several months in front of the facility at 505 County Farm Road in Wheaton.

“Henry Hyde was a great American, no doubt, Schillerstrom said. “But besides being a great American, he was a great congressman and a very good representative for DuPage County.

Hyde served in the House representing Illinois' 6th District, which covers parts of Cook County and most of DuPage, for 32 years beginning in 1975. From 1995 to 2001, he headed the House judiciary committee and oversaw the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.

Locally, Hyde tried unsuccessfully for years to bring a federal courthouse to the county.

Schillerstrom said the honor is a natural fit to recognize Hyde's generosity, which extended beyond the public eye.

“He was a very, very nice man, he said. “When you sat down to talk to him, you would never know that he was as powerful a man as he was. He was a great mentor for many people.

Hyde was long celebrated as a representative who worked with leaders on both sides of the political landscape. At his funeral in 2007, Democratic and Republican leaders eulogized Hyde, including North Carolina Democrat Melvin Watt, who called him a representative of what is “good and wonderful about our democracy.

Schillerstrom echoed that point on Monday.

“He treated everybody well and took the time for everyone, he said. “He was a very smart man, very well read and had a great breadth of knowledge of things in life.

Longtime Hyde aide and friend Pat Durante called the plan to name the courthouse “a great honor for the late congressman.

“He was a lawyer who loved the law and respected the rule of law, Durante said. “So it's all very fitting. They couldn't have named it after a better guy.

“He just loved the law, Durante said. “The law meant more to him than anything else in life. He would be so honored by this.

Daily Herald staff writer Robert Sanchez contributed to this report.