Illinois's 13th Senate district facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Illinois's 13th State Senate district
The 13th district since 2023.
Senator	Robert Peters D–Chicago
Demographics	23.5% White 55.0% Black 12.8% Hispanic 9.0% Asian 1.7% Native American 0.2% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Population (2020)  • Voting age  • Citizens of voting age	217,228 180,325 153,965

The 13th Senate district of Illinois is one of 59 special areas in the Illinois Senate. A "district" is like a neighborhood or region that elects one person to represent them in the state government. This district runs along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It stretches from Chicago's famous Magnificent Mile all the way to the Indiana border.

This area is home to many well-known Chicago places. These include Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Grant Park, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, Soldier Field, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the University of Chicago. Some of the neighborhoods in this district are Streeterville and parts of the South Side, like Kenwood, Hyde Park, and South Chicago.

About 119,000 Black residents live in the 13th district. They make up most of the district's total population of 217,000 people. Because of this, the district has helped many Black leaders start their careers in Illinois politics. For example, former President Barack Obama was a state senator here. He then became a U.S. Senator in 2004. Also, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul represented this district from 2004 to 2019.

The Democrats have won elections in this district easily for over sixty years. In 2020, Joe Biden, who was Obama's vice president, won here by a huge margin. He received 89% of the votes compared to Donald Trump's 10%. This shows how strongly Democratic the district is.

Important Leaders from the 13th District

Many important people in Illinois and national politics have served in the 13th district. Here are some of the most well-known:

Senators from the 13th District

• John M. Palmer
  

  John M. Palmer
  • He was a Major General during the American Civil War.
  • He served as the 15th Governor of Illinois.
  • Later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

• Dawn Clark Netsch
  

  Dawn Clark Netsch
  • She was the 4th Illinois Comptroller, which means she managed the state's money.
  • She also ran for Governor of Illinois.

• Richard H. Newhouse Jr.
  • He was the first African American person to run for Mayor of Chicago.

• Barack Obama
  

  Barack Obama
  • He was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois.
  • He later became the 44th President of the United States.

• Kwame Raoul
  

  Kwame Raoul
  • He is currently the 42nd Illinois Attorney General. This means he is the state's top lawyer.

Representatives from the 13th District

• Lyman Beecher Ray
  

  Lyman Beecher Ray
  • He served as the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

• Seymour Stedman
  

  Seymour Stedman
  • He was a Vice-Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

• Gotthard A. Dahlberg
  

  Gotthard A. Dahlberg
  • He was the 46th Speaker of the Illinois House. This is a very important leadership role.

• Stanley H. Kunz
  

  Stanley H. Kunz
  • He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

• James Herbert Wilkerson
  

  James Herbert Wilkerson
  • He was appointed as a Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

• Elmer Jacob Schnackenberg
  • He was appointed as a Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

• Jesse White
  

  Jesse White
  • He served as the 37th Illinois Secretary of State.

Images for kids

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  Chauncey L. Higbee

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  Perry A. Armstrong

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  Barack Obama