Gus Savage
Encyclopedia
Augustus Alexander "Gus" Savage (born October 30, 1925) is a former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Savage was born in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and graduated from Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1943 to 1946. He worked as a journalist from 1954 to 1979, owning a chain of community weekly newspapers in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area. He was unsuccessful in his candidacy for the House of Representatives in 1968 and 1970, losing the Democratic primary both times. Savage won election to the House in 1980
United States House elections, 1980
The U.S. House election, 1980 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 which coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan as President. Reagan's victory also allowed many Republican House candidates to secure election, and the Republicans gained a net of 35 seats from...
, representing the 2nd District on Chicago's south side. He caused controversy being a critic of Israel and supporting the Palestinians. Savage also gave a speech where he listed the names of all of the Jewish donors living outside of Chicago area who donated money to his opponent. This led to a backlash and claims that only white people could be racist. The press claimed that Savage made statements against both white and Jewish people that were considered to be racist and antisemitic. In 1989, Savage was accused of trying to force himself on a female Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
worker in Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
. Savage denied these allegations and blamed it on the "racist press." In January 1990, the House Ethics Committee
United States House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
The Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the 112th Congress it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct....
decided that the events did occur, but it did not take disciplinary action because Savage wrote a letter of apology to the woman, but only after calling her a "traitor to the black race"
Savage had long been controversial even in his own district, never winning a primary election with more than 52% of the vote, and usually facing multiple challengers. Before the 1992
United States House elections, 1992
The United States House of Representatives elections in 1992 coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W...
election, his district was extended further into Chicago's south suburbs due to redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, and Savage faced Mel Reynolds
Mel Reynolds
Melvin Reynolds is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois. His political career ended in scandal.-Early life:...
in the primary election; Reynolds had previously challenged Savage in 1988
United States House elections, 1988
The U.S. House election, 1988 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1988 which coincided with the election of George H. W. Bush as President...
and 1990
United States House elections, 1990
The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term...
. Savage claimed that "racist Jews" were donating to Reynolds, and Reynolds claimed that Savage was involved in a drive-by shooting that injured him, which some aides claimed happened due to Savage's remarks. Savage accused Reynolds of staging the shooting, but lost the election by a margin of 63%-37%.
As one of his final acts as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Public Building and Grounds, Savage was at the helm of ceasing excavations of the African Burial Ground in New York City. After months of protests, the General Services Administration disregarded the wishes of community members and local politicians. Savage was able to use his position as a national politician to bring action to the cause.