January 20, 2020
Souper Study featuring author Skokie Village Mayor and Author George Van Dusen
Mayor George Van Dusen – “Clear it with Sid!: Sidney R. Yates and Fifty Years of Presidents, Pragmatism and Public Service”
The Jewish son of a Lithuanian blacksmith, Sidney R. Yates rose to the pinnacle of Washington power and influence. As chair of a House Appropriations Subcommittee and dean of the Jewish Caucus, Yates was a preeminent national figure involved in issues ranging from the environment to Israel to support for the arts. Speaker Tip O’Neill relied on the savvy Chicagoan in the trenches and advised anyone with controversial legislation to first “Clear it with Sid!”
This book draws on scores of interviews and unprecedented access to private papers to illuminate the life of this Illinois political icon. Wise, energetic, charismatic, petty, stub-born — Sid Yates presented a complicated character to constituents and colleagues alike. Yet his get-it-done approach to legislation allowed him to bridge partisan divides in the often-polarized House of Representatives