Victor deGrazia
Encyclopedia
Victor R. de Grazia was best known as the campaign manager
and deputy governor
to Illinois Governor
Daniel Walker
.
deGrazia was the mastermind of Walker's victory over Republican
Governor Richard B. Ogilvie in 1972, which was of one of the great upsets in recent Illinois political history.
deGrazia was a controversial figure in Illinois politics. According to the Chicago Tribune
, the enmity that developed between deGrazia and others stemmed from the Walker campaign and subsequent Walker administration battles against the late Mayor
Richard J. Daley
. In 1974, Walker and deGrazia fielded legislative candidates against Daley allies. A year later, deGrazia and another top Walker aide demanded Daley resign as chairman of the Cook County
Democratic
organization.
deGrazia was born in Chicago
. He joined the Army
at age 17 and served in Japan
. He studied psychoanalysis
and biochemistry
at the University of Chicago
and Lake Forest College
and composition
at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, but earned no degree.
An activist on urban housing, he worked for the late Gov. Adlai Stevenson's first presidential bid in 1952 and went to on to manage campaigns for former Chicago Alderman Leon Despres and former judge and White House Counsel
Abner Mikva.
In 1961, Mr. de Grazia served as executive director of the state board of economic development for then-Gov. Otto Kerner
.
deGrazia developed a relationship with Walker as a result of his activities in independent Democratic anti-Chicago Machine
movement of the 1950s. He later served as deputy director to Walker in the federal investigation of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
. He joined Walker's campaign in 1970 as its manager and also managed Walker's unsuccessful 1976 bid for re-election.
After the end of the Walker Administration, deGrazia became a successful jury consultant, contributing to the court victory of MCI
against AT&T
, which established the right of long distance providers to use local telephone lines owned by other telephone companies. He also represented Litton Industries
and Northrup.
deGrazia died on April 2, 2005.
"Victor R. de Grazia, ran Walker's gov campaign," Chicago SunTimes, Apr. 8, 2005
Oral History Project at the University of Illinois at Springfield
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
and deputy governor
Deputy Governor
A Deputy governor is a gubernatorial official who is subordinated to a governor, rather like a Lieutenant governor.-British colonial cases:In the British empire, there were such colonial offices in :...
to Illinois Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Daniel Walker
Daniel Walker
Daniel Walker was the 36th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1973 to 1977.-Early life and career:He was born in Washington, D.C. and raised near San Diego, California. He was the second Governor of Illinois to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. He served as a naval officer in...
.
deGrazia was the mastermind of Walker's victory over Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor Richard B. Ogilvie in 1972, which was of one of the great upsets in recent Illinois political history.
deGrazia was a controversial figure in Illinois politics. According to the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, the enmity that developed between deGrazia and others stemmed from the Walker campaign and subsequent Walker administration battles against the late Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
. In 1974, Walker and deGrazia fielded legislative candidates against Daley allies. A year later, deGrazia and another top Walker aide demanded Daley resign as chairman of the Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
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...
organization.
deGrazia was born in 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...
. He joined the 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...
at age 17 and served in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He studied psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
and biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....
and composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, but earned no degree.
An activist on urban housing, he worked for the late Gov. Adlai Stevenson's first presidential bid in 1952 and went to on to manage campaigns for former Chicago Alderman Leon Despres and former judge and White House Counsel
White House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
Abner Mikva.
In 1961, Mr. de Grazia served as executive director of the state board of economic development for then-Gov. Otto Kerner
Otto Kerner
Otto Kerner is the name of two political figures from Illinois:*Otto Kerner, Sr. , Attorney General of Illinois & judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for Seventh Circuit...
.
deGrazia developed a relationship with Walker as a result of his activities in independent Democratic anti-Chicago Machine
Cook County Democratic Organization
The Cook County Democratic Organization is one of the most powerful political machines in American history. Historically called the "Chicago Democratic machine", or simply the "Chicago Machine", the organization has dominated Chicago politics since the 1930s...
movement of the 1950s. He later served as deputy director to Walker in the federal investigation of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
. He joined Walker's campaign in 1970 as its manager and also managed Walker's unsuccessful 1976 bid for re-election.
After the end of the Walker Administration, deGrazia became a successful jury consultant, contributing to the court victory of MCI
MCI Communications
MCI Communications Corp. was an American telecommunications company that was instrumental in legal and regulatory changes that led to the breakup of the AT&T monopoly of American telephony and ushered in the competitive long-distance telephone industry. It was headquartered in Washington,...
against AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, which established the right of long distance providers to use local telephone lines owned by other telephone companies. He also represented Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
and Northrup.
deGrazia died on April 2, 2005.
Sources
"Victor R. de Grazia, 76; Ex-governor's right-hand man," Chicago Tribune, Apr 9, 2005. pg. 23."Victor R. de Grazia, ran Walker's gov campaign," Chicago SunTimes, Apr. 8, 2005
Oral History Project at the University of Illinois at Springfield