Susan Catania

{{Infobox state representative

| name = Susan Catania

| image = Susan Catania.jpg

| alt = Susan Catania

| caption = Catania in 1976

| state_house = Illinois

| district = 22nd

| term_start = 1973

| term_end = 1983

| predecessor = Genoa Washington (Republican representative of multi-member district)

| successor = Redistricted

| prior_term =

| birth_name = Susan Kmetty

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1941|12|10}}

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, US

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|11|27|1941|12|10}}

| death_place = Eagle River, Wisconsin, US

| party = Republican

| education = {{ubl|Saint Xavier University (BA)|Northwestern University|University of Chicago (MSW)}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Anthony E. Catania||2022|end=d}}

| children = 7

}}

Susan Catania ({{née|Kmetty}}; December 10, 1941 – November 27, 2023) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 to 1983. She was involved in women's rights issues, and she led the unsuccessful effort to get the federal Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified by the Illinois General Assembly. Catania also served as chairperson of the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women. A representative from Chicago, she was described as a liberal, feminist, and maverick member of the Republican legislative caucus.

Catania represented a heavily African American and Democratic district, but a Republican could still represent the district under the state's cumulative voting system. In the House, Catania introduced gay rights bills and the Freedom of Information Act, but both efforts were unsuccessful. During her tenure, she sponsored over 50 bills that became law, including the Crime Victim Compensation Act and a bill that designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday, both of which were enacted in 1973. Cumulative voting was abolished by the Cutback Amendment in 1981, and Catania lost any chance to retain her seat in the House going forward. During the 1982 elections, she ran for lieutenant governor, but lost the Republican primary, which was seen as a referendum on ratification of the ERA.

Early years and personal life

File:Susan Kmetty 1958.png

Born in Chicago on December 10, 1941, Susan Kmetty grew up in the Beverly neighborhood in the city's South Side.{{Cite news |last=Goldsborough |first=Bob |date=December 28, 2023 |title=Susan Catania, former state lawmaker and 'fighter' for equality, dies at 81 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-susan-catina-obituary-20231228-mnd6ybrktvfntix4bv3wuv4j2e-story.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114120124/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-susan-catina-obituary-20231228-mnd6ybrktvfntix4bv3wuv4j2e-story.html |url-status=live }} She was an only child. Her father, John Kmetty, made supplies for heavy industrial equipment, and her mother, Helen Giffrow Kmetty, taught home economics at Chicago Public Schools.{{Cite news |last=Chicago Tribune |author-link=Chicago Tribune |date=December 17, 2023 |title=Susan Catania |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/susan-catania-obituary?id=53851307 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115061526/https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/susan-catania-obituary?id=53851307 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Legacy.com}} Susan attended Catholic schools, including Mother McAuley High School. In 1962, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Saint Xavier University. She later did one year of graduate studies in chemistry, including work as a teaching assistant, at Northwestern University.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1976 |title=Susan Catania |encyclopedia=Illinois Blue Book, 1975–1976 |publisher=Illinois Secretary of State |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/36173 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |editor-last=Howlett |editor-first=Michael J. |editor-link=Michael Howlett |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917021518/http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/36173 |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live}} {{Source-attribution}}{{Cite book |last1=Catania |first1=Susan |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/uis/id/5374 |title=Susan Catania Memoir |last2=Haynes |first2=Judy |publisher=University of Illinois Board of Trustees |year=1984 |location=Springfield, Illinois |pages=2–3 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919020349/http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/uis/id/5374 |archive-date=September 19, 2021 |url-status=live}}

In 1963 Kmetty married Anthony E. Catania, whom she had met during an intercollegiate glee club event. They had seven daughters, three of whom were born during Susan's tenure as a state representative.{{Cite news |last=Padar |first=Kayleigh |date=December 14, 2023 |title=Former Republican Illinois legislator Susan Catania remembered for supporting gay rights |url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/PASSAGES-Former-Republican-Illinois-legislator-Susan-Catania-remembered-for-supporting-gay-rights/76479.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Windy City Times |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115054618/https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/PASSAGES-Former-Republican-Illinois-legislator-Susan-Catania-remembered-for-supporting-gay-rights/76479.html |url-status=live }} They were married for 58 years before Anthony died in 2022.{{Cite news |date=September 22, 2022 |title=Anthony Catania, 1942 – 2022 |url=https://legacy.suntimes.com/us/obituaries/chicagosuntimes/name/anthony-catania-obituary?id=36460350 |access-date=December 14, 2022 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-date=December 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214172850/https://legacy.suntimes.com/us/obituaries/chicagosuntimes/name/anthony-catania-obituary?id=36460350 |url-status=live }}

Catania's education, and the fact that both of her parents worked, motivated her to work full-time in an era when many men assumed women were to stay at home. In 1963, she joined Walter C. McCrone Associates, a microscopy consulting firm in the South Side, as information director, technical writer, and publicist. She hired a babysitter and lived near her workplace, allowing her to nurse her baby during her break. By the end of 1970, Catania quit that job after she did not receive a promotion she had expected. The following year, she filed a sex discrimination lawsuit after her employer allegedly hired a man with less experience but offered him twice the pay. Her claim to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was the first by an Illinois woman for unemployment benefits based on sex discrimination, and included a claim for being denied dependent benefits for her children. Catania connected with the National Organization for Women, which was recruiting women to testify at the General Assembly for a bill expanding access to unemployment benefits for pregnant women. Catania would become one of the women to testify with the organization. By 1972, she worked freelance as a technical publications consultant.{{Cite news |last=Stein |first=Sharman |date=March 8, 1995 |title=DCFS coordinator puts family values to work |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-03-08-9503080153-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055021/https://www.chicagotribune.com/ |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune}}

Campaign for the House

Amid her advocacy for legislation protecting pregnant women, in 1972 Catania decided to campaign for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 22nd district. She was vying for the Republican seat in her district that was available under the state's cumulative voting system, in which each district elected three members.{{Cite news |last=Schoenburg |first=Bernard |date=April 14, 2018 |title=Bernard Schoenburg: 36 years later, Susan Catania hopeful about ERA |url=https://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20180414/bernard-schoenburg-36-years-later-susan-catania-hopeful-about-era |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919024306/https://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20180414/bernard-schoenburg-36-years-later-susan-catania-hopeful-about-era |archive-date=September 19, 2021 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |work=The State Journal-Register}} Her district was predominantly African American and Democratic.{{Cite journal |date=February 1984 |title=Catania to teach course at SSU |url=https://www.lib.niu.edu/1984/ii8402039.html |url-status=live |journal=Illinois Issues |publisher=University of Illinois at Springfield |pages=40 |issn=0738-9663 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823030237/http://www.lib.niu.edu/1984/ii8402039.html |archive-date=August 23, 2017 |access-date=September 27, 2021 |via=Illinois Periodicals Online}}

Three other candidates ran for the Republican nomination, including incumbent Genoa Washington. The Chicago Tribune reported that Catania was running "one of the most vigorous campaigns of the year", in contrast to the other candidates. Washington was confident of his reelection and led a relatively quiet campaign. Catania ran on a platform to mitigate pollution, promote consumer protection, improve public education, promote small business, regulate insurance practices in the inner city, and combat racial and sex discrimination.{{Cite news |last=Seslar |first=Thomas |date=March 12, 1972 |title=Woman Overshadows Foes in 22d District Race |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-woman-overshadows-foes-i/139004362/ |access-date=January 18, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |at=sec. 10, p. 1 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118225940/https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-woman-overshadows-foes-i/139004362/ |url-status=live }} Washington battled cancer and died a few weeks before the election, leaving his seat vacant.{{Cite news |date=October 18, 1972 |title=Obituaries: Genoa Washington |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-genoa-washngton-1972/80829131/ |access-date=January 17, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |at=sec. 3, p. 16 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118225948/https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-genoa-washngton-1972/80829131/ |url-status=live }} Catania won the election, having secured endorsements from Independent Voters of Illinois and Gloria Steinem, an activist and journalist.

Tenure

Catania has been described as a liberal, feminist, and maverick.{{Cite news |last=Broder |first=David S. |date=March 17, 1982 |title=Three Congressmen Apparently Lose, Another Periled in Illinois Primary |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/03/17/three-congressmen-apparently-lose-another-periled-in-illinois-primary/0d04789b-67e0-487f-828c-e5b275da1f12/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055038/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/03/17/three-congressmen-apparently-lose-another-periled-in-illinois-primary/0d04789b-67e0-487f-828c-e5b275da1f12/ |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} She often defied her party's leadership, supporting gun control and abortion, but faced few repercussions as there is no Republican organization in the South Side of Chicago.{{Cite news|last=Kleine|first=Ted|date=October 14, 1999|title=Triple Threat|work=Chicago Reader|url=https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/triple-threat-3/|access-date=September 27, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055022/https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/triple-threat-3/|url-status=live}} Throughout her tenure, she sponsored over 50 bills that became law, addressing topics that included domestic violence, child support, joint custody, school bus safety, grandparents' visitation rights, state income tax reform, a rape shield law, and public aid.{{Cite report |url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/188357NCJRS.pdf |title=S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women in Illinois |last=Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority |date=May 1998 |page=3 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055024/https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/188357NCJRS.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |url-status=live}}

= Women's rights =

Catania joined a small group of women legislators who focused on women's rights issues in the 1970s. Judy Koehler, a colleague in the House, regarded Catania as "very much a leader on women’s issues, on such things as domestic violence, sexual abuse and employment discrimination". In 1974, she shocked male legislators by bringing her infant daughter to the House floor and nursing her baby in the women's restroom.{{Cite news|last=Kleiman|first=Carol|date=October 26, 1999|title=Businesses making breast-feeding an easier option|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-10-26-9910260298-story.html|access-date=September 26, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055022/https://www.chicagotribune.com/|url-status=live}} The infant remained in a car bed under an empty desk near Catania's, and recent renovations had added a new women's lounge by the entrance into the House chamber, the lounge equipped with a loudspeaker to keep its occupants informed of House proceedings. In 1975, Catania was appointed chairperson of the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women, a 16-member panel including both Democratic and Republican appointees.

Catania credited disposable diapers with helping her care for her babies while traveling for legislative business.{{Cite news|last=Brotman|first=Barbara|date=April 20, 1990|title=A world apart|work=Chicago Tribune}} Cited in {{Cite report|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED356965.pdf|title=Actions Speak! (Louder than Words) : The Social and Environmental Impact of Solid Waste|last1=Peters|first1=Thomas T.|last2=Wissmann|first2=Janet L.|date=September 1991|publisher=University of Illinois|location=Springfield, Illinois|page=22|access-date=September 27, 2021|via=Education Resources Information Center|archive-date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316073043/http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED356965.pdf|url-status=live}} Catania supported the federal Displaced Homemakers Act, which addressed women seeking to enter or re-enter the workforce. She testified at hearings of a US House subcommittee in 1976, and a US Senate subcommittee in 1977.{{Cite journal|last=Levenstein|first=Lisa|date=March 2014|title='Don't Agonize, Organize!': The Displaced Homemakers Campaign and the Contested Goals of Postwar Feminism|journal=Journal of American History|volume=100|issue=4|page=1131|doi=10.1093/jahist/jau007|via=Academic Search Complete}}{{Cite conference|date=September 1977|title=Displaced Homemakers Act, 1977|url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED150443|conference=Hearings before the Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor of the Committee on Human Resources, United States Senate, Ninety-Fifth Congress, First Session on S. 418 to Provide for the Establishment of Multipurpose Service Centers for Displaced Homemakers, and for Other Purposes|publisher=Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Human Resources.|via=Education Resources Information Center|access-date=September 26, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055022/https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED150443|url-status=live}} Catania was chief sponsor{{Cite news|last=Locin|first=Mitchell|date=February 15, 1981|title=Supporters of ERA get a 'last chance'|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/clip/66315861/chicago-tribune/|access-date=September 27, 2021|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055024/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/clip/66315861/chicago-tribune/|url-status=live}} of the unsuccessful effort to get the federal Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified by the General Assembly,{{Refn|The General Assembly eventually ratified the ERA in 2018, more than three decades after the federal deadline.{{Cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Brendan |date=May 31, 2018 |title=Illinois passes Equal Rights Amendment, more than three decades after deadline |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1IW0LA/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Reuters}}|group=note}} breaking with Speaker George Ryan, who opposed the ERA. Ryan later declined to reappoint her to the Commission on the Status of Women.{{Cite journal|last=Kieckhefer|first=Robert|date=March 1982|title=Will it be Ryan, Totten or Catania?|url=https://www.lib.niu.edu/1982/ii820305.html|journal=Illinois Issues|publisher=University of Illinois at Springfield|pages=4|issn=0738-9663|access-date=September 27, 2021|via=Illinois Periodicals Online|archive-date=September 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920211809/https://www.lib.niu.edu/1982/ii820305.html|url-status=live}} Her term as the commission's chairperson had lasted for eight years.

In 1979, Catania proposed an amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act, which had passed the Senate with the sponsorship of Harold Washington. Catania's amendment, which would have allowed women guarantees in the use of credit cards, passed the House but was not accepted by the Senate. As Catania refused to back down, the bill deadlocked, and the General Assembly adjourned at the end of June. After additional negotiations, the act was re-introduced in November without Catania's amendment, and the bill became law in December.{{cite book|last=Hamlish Levinsohn|first=Florence|title=Harold Washington: A Political Biography|publisher=Chicago Review Press|year=1983|isbn=978-0914091417|location=Chicago|pages=133–134}} That same year, she won an award named after Susan B. Anthony for her legislative leadership on women's issues.{{Cite journal|date=June 1979|title=Honors|url=https://www.lib.niu.edu/1979/ii790630.html|journal=Illinois Issues|publisher=University of Illinois at Springfield|pages=36|issn=0738-9663|access-date=September 27, 2021|via=Illinois Periodicals Online|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055023/https://www.lib.niu.edu/1979/ii790630.html|url-status=live}}

= Other issues =

In January 1973, Catania introduced a bill that designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday. She was joined as sponsors by Harold Washington (a state representative at the time) and Peggy Smith Martin, and the bill was signed in September of the same year by Governor Dan Walker.{{Cite news |last=Manning |first=Mary Lou |date=December 14, 1973 |title=States Offices To Be Closed On King's Birthday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42731191/mt_vernon_registernews/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121191222/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42730643/the_daily_sentinel/ |archive-date=January 21, 2020 |work=Mt. Vernon Register-News |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}} Catania introduced gay rights bills as early as 1976, partnering with legislators Robert E. Mann and Leland H. Rayson.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2008 |title=Gay Rights Success in Illinois |encyclopedia=Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community |publisher=Agate Publishing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJEU4xYiWEEC&pg=PA212 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |editor-last=Baim |editor-first=Tracy |page=212 |isbn=9781572846432 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055023/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Out_and_Proud_in_Chicago/rJEU4xYiWEEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA212&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |last2=Baim |first2=Tracy |last1=Wooten |first1=Amy |url-status=live}} Activist Rick Garcia credited her for "open[ing] the door for other moderate Republicans to start to begin supporting basic civil rights for LGBTQ+ people". Catania and Elroy Sundquist, a fellow Republican in the House, also sponsored bills to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, in 1977 the legislation was overwhelmingly defeated, with a vote of 38–114.{{Cite book |last=D'Emilio |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6n8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA89 |title=Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2020 |isbn=9780226727677 |pages=89 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055026/https://books.google.com/books?id=c6n8DwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA89&ots=payQ9cZoEJ&pg=PA89 |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |url-status=live}} In 1974, Catania was the first to sponsor the Freedom of Information Act. Chicago-based Democrats in the General Assembly often opposed freedom of information initiatives in the mid-1970s, referring the matters back to legislative committees to avoid consideration.{{cite thesis |last=Woodbury |first=Marsha Cook |date=1995 |title=A Decade of Decisions: An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act by Public Universities |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |page=38}} She also sponsored the Crime Victim Compensation Act, which passed in 1973.{{Cite news |last1=Chavis |first1=Lakeidra |last2=Nass |first2=Daniel |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Illinois created a program to compensate crime victims. Nearly 50 years later, it's failing. |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/7/9/22566035/illinois-crime-victim-compensation-program-delays-failures |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927065202/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/7/9/22566035/illinois-crime-victim-compensation-program-delays-failures |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=September 27, 2021 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}} Catania secured emergency state funding for Cook County Hospital and Provident Hospital, the latter effort which was co-sponsored with Harold Washington. She also sponsored gun control legislation, but those efforts failed.

Catania encouraged voters to support Republican Charles H. Percy for election as U.S. Senator from Illinois. She also encouraged constituents to protest against Edward Hanrahan, the Democratic state's attorney for Cook County, for his controversial role in the killing of Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark.{{Cite news |date=March 6, 2012 |title=Why Chicago Republicans Have To Run As Democrats |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/why-chicago-republicans-have-to-run-as-democrats-ward-room/1951140/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055026/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/why-chicago-republicans-have-to-run-as-democrats-ward-room/1951140/ |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |access-date=September 27, 2021 |work=NBC 5 Chicago}} In 1980, Catania supported John B. Anderson during the Republican Party presidential primaries. Shortly after the 1980 presidential election, she criticized Ronald Reagan's military defense policies in an interview published by the Catholic progressive organization Call to Action.{{Cite journal |last=Pogorelc |first=Anthony J. |date=2012 |title=Allies Advancing Justice: Cooperation between U.S. Bishops and Call to Action to Promote the Peace and Economic Pastoral Letters (1982–1987) |journal=Religions |publisher=MDPI |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=914 |doi=10.3390/rel3040902 |issn=2077-1444 |doi-access=free}}

Post-House political career

File:Susan Catania campaign 1982.png

Cumulative voting was abolished by the Cutback Amendment in 1981, and Catania lost any chance to retain her seat in the House going forward. She ran for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 1982. It was also a form of retaliation against George Ryan, who had opposed her reappointment to the Commission on the Status of Women and was also running for lieutenant governor. As the only candidate to openly support the ERA, Catania collected donations from feminists nationwide who were hoping to get Illinois to ratify the amendment. At the time, Illinois was the only northern industrial state that had not ratified, and national ERA leaders viewed the election as a potential referendum on the amendment. The National Organization for Women supported Catania, while Phyllis Schlafly, an ERA opponent, recognized the importance of the race and opposed her. Governor James R. Thompson backed Ryan in the race, and mainstream Republicans in Illinois regarded Catania "as radical as Leon Trotsky".{{Cite book|last=Merriner|first=James L.|title=The Man Who Emptied Death Row : Governor George Ryan and the Politics of Crime|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0809328659|series=The Elmer H. Johnson and Carol Holmes Johnson Series in Criminology|location=Carbondale|pages=40}} Catania lost the primary, coming in second place to Ryan. Afterwards, she continued lobbying on women's rights issues.

Starting in December 1982, Catania was a member of the women's committee of the Chicago 1992 World's Fair. She also served on the advisory committee, formed in July 1983, of Harold Washington, who by then had been elected mayor of Chicago.{{Cite thesis|last=Coletta|first=Sarah Louise|title=No Little Plans: Making and Breaking the 1992 Chicago World's Fair|date=April 2017|degree=PhD|publisher=Montana State University|url=https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/12763/ColettaS0517.pdf|access-date=September 27, 2021|pages=53–54, 183|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927064502/https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/12763/ColettaS0517.pdf|url-status=live}} In spring 1983, Catania was a fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics for six months, studying women in politics.{{Cite web|title=Susan Catania|url=https://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/susan-catania|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics|language=en|archive-date=February 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228105039/https://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/susan-catania}} Her activities included giving lectures, leading seminars, and rowing along the Charles River as part of a rowing crew team. On June 7, 1984, she testified before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations during a hearing regarding the role of women in the economic development of the Third World.{{Cite conference|date=June 7, 1984|title=Women in Development: Looking to the Future|url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED250240|conference=Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations. United States Senate, Ninety-Eighth Congress, Second Session|publisher=Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate.|pages=80–87|via=Education Resources Information Center|access-date=September 26, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055025/https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED250240|url-status=live}} During the 1984 Republican National Convention, Catania gained national attention as the only delegate who refused to support the Reagan–Bush slate. In 1986, she ran in the at-large election to be a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners representing Chicago, succeeding in the primary to be one of ten Republican nominees, but losing the general election. During Chicago's mayoral election in 1987, she was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Republican primary,{{Cite book|last=Fremon|first=David K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wrYGjB8Ixq0C&pg=PA13|title=Chicago Politics, Ward by Ward|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1988|isbn=9780253204905|pages=13|access-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927055025/https://books.google.com/books?id=wrYGjB8Ixq0C&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&source=bl&ots=bNLg5LmX93&sig=ACfU3U1rPnw1m-sGolmp9FNsL5CgxPdSOQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiC04mjpJ7zAhX-EFkFHb-KD2g4KBDoAXoECA4QAw|archive-date=September 27, 2021|url-status=live}} though she ultimately opted not to run.

By 1992, Catania ran her consulting firm.{{Cite news|last=League of Women Voters of Illinois|date=October 25, 1992|title=Cook County Recorder of Deeds|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-10-25-9204060920-story.html|access-date=September 26, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927064503/https://www.chicagotribune.com/|url-status=live}} She helped open a daycare center for state employees in Chicago. During the 1992 elections in Cook County, she was the Republican nominee for recorder of deeds, losing the election to Democratic nominee Jesse White.

Later life

File:Susan Catania 2010.png

In 1993, Governor Jim Edgar assigned Catania to the Department of Children and Family Services, where she was responsible for establishing and licensing foster-care homes in Cook County. In 1997, Catania earned a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Chicago. By 1998, she worked for the Department of Human Services, overseeing the state's program for preventing and responding to sexual assault. She worked for that department until her retirement.

Catania survived bouts of breast cancer and bone cancer. In 2016, she supported Democratic nominee Tammy Duckworth for the United States Senate election in Illinois, and also Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for the presidential election. She eventually moved to Buffalo Grove, Illinois, then to Eagle River, Wisconsin for permanent retirement.{{Refn|One source suggests that Catania was living in Buffalo Grove as late as 2018, but another source indicates that she moved into Eagle River as early as 2016.|group=note}} In Eagle River, Catania lived in a family cabin at Cranberry Lake that had been purchased by her parents when she was young, and where her children would spend their summers. Catania died from injuries during a fire at the cabin on November 27, 2023, at age 81.{{cite news |last1=Catania |first1=Sara |title=Trailblazer, Feminist, Mom: An Appreciation |url=https://medium.com/@Catanify/trailblazer-feminist-mom-an-appreciation-1fa8fe533a2b |access-date=December 8, 2023 |work=Medium |date=December 7, 2023 |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208075925/https://medium.com/@Catanify/trailblazer-feminist-mom-an-appreciation-1fa8fe533a2b |url-status=live }}

Electoral history

= Illinois House of Representatives elections =

{{Election box begin no change|title=1972 primary election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Genoa S. Washington|votes=1,632|percentage=49.64}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=1,275|percentage=38.78}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=George Williams|votes={{frac|266|1|2}}|percentage=8.11}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=M. Earle Sardon|votes={{frac|114|1|2}}|percentage=3.48}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1972 general election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1972 |title=Official vote cast at the General Election, November 7, 1972; Judicial; Primary Election; General Primary, March 21, 1972 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois Secretary of State |pages=65, 164 |docket= |access-date=October 11, 2021 |quote= |via=Illinois State Board of Elections |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Corneal A. Davis|votes={{frac|55,911|1|2}}|percentage=42.18}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=James A. McLendon|votes=47,021|percentage=35.48}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|20,260|1|2}}|percentage=15.29}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=William O. Stewart|votes=9,347|percentage=7.05}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1974 primary election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|1748|1|2}}|percentage=64.68}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brenda E. Perry|votes=955|percentage=35.32}}

{{Election box total no change|votes={{frac|2703|1|2}}|percentage=100}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1974 general election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1974 |title=Official vote cast at the General Election, November 5, 1974; Judicial; Primary Election; General Primary, March 19, 1974 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=37, 101 |docket= |access-date=October 11, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Corneal A. Davis|votes=32,396|percentage=39.73}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=James A. McLendon|votes=31,874|percentage=39.09}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=13,377|percentage=16.41}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brenda E. Perry|votes={{frac|3893|1|2}}|percentage=4.77}}

{{Election box total no change|votes={{frac|81540|1|2}}|percentage=100}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1976 primary election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=1,484|percentage=73.00}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Willie Reed|votes=549|percentage=27.00}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1976 general election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1976 |title=Official vote cast at the General Election, November 2, 1976; Judicial; Primary Election; General Primary, March 16, 1976 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=61, 203 |docket= |access-date=October 12, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Corneal A. Davis|votes=51,456|percentage=43.25}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=James A. McLendon|votes={{frac|44,197|1|2}}|percentage=37.15}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|18,368|1|2}}|percentage=15.44}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Willie Reed|votes=4,951|percentage=4.16}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1978 primary election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1978 |title=Official vote cast at the Primary Election; General Primary, March 21, 1978 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=57 |docket= |access-date=October 12, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|1314|1|2}}|percentage=70.54}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Willie Reed|votes={{frac|331|1|2}}|percentage=17.79}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Alma King|votes={{frac|217|1|2}}|percentage=11.67}}

{{Election box total no change|votes={{frac|1863|1|2}}|percentage=100}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1978 general election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1978 |title=Official vote cast at the General Election, November 7, 1978 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=68 |docket= |access-date=October 12, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Larry S. Bullock|votes={{frac|30623|1|2}}|percentage=40.10}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Quentin J. Goodwin|votes={{frac|26277|1|2}}|percentage=34.41}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|15388|1|2}}|percentage=20.15}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Willie Reed|votes={{frac|4086|1|2}}|percentage=5.35}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1980 primary election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1980 |title=Official vote cast at the Primary Election, March 18, 1980 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=97 |docket= |access-date=October 12, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=2,325|percentage=98.48}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=W. Frazier (Write-in)|votes=27|percentage=1.14}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Write-ins|votes=9|percentage=0.38}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1980 general election—Illinois House of Representatives, 22nd District{{cite report |date=1980 |title=Official vote cast at the General Election, November 4, 1980 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |pages=42 |docket= |access-date=October 12, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Larry S. Bullock|votes=43,939|percentage=36.19}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Margaret Smith|votes={{frac|41,347|1|2}}|percentage=34.06}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes={{frac|17,460|1|2}}|percentage=14.38}}

{{Election box inline candidate no change|party=Good-Win|candidate=Quentin J. Goodwin|votes=11,611|percentage=9.56}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Wynetta A. Frazier|votes=4,322|percentage=3.56}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Independent politician|candidate="Big James" Phipps|votes=2090|percentage=1.72}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Independent politician|candidate=James "Skip" Burrell|votes={{frac|627|1|2}}|percentage=0.52}}

{{Election box total no change|votes={{frac|121,397|1|2}}|percentage=100}}

= Later elections =

{{Election box begin no change|title=1982 Republican primary—Illinois Lieutenant Governor{{cite report |date=1982 |title=Official vote cast at the General Primary Election, March 16, 1982 |url=https://elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |page=10 |docket= |access-date=October 10, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107185248/https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DownloadVoteTotals.aspx |url-status=live }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=George Ryan|votes=278,544|percentage=44.99}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=188,220|percentage=30.40}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Donald L. Totten|votes=152,356|percentage=24.61}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Write-in|candidate=Others|votes=13|percentage=0.00}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1986 Republican primary—Cook County Board of Commissioners, Chicago seats{{cite report |date= |title=Primary Election; Cook County, Illinois; Tuesday, March 18, 1986 |url=https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/March1986.pdf |publisher=Cook County Clerk's Office |page=26 |docket= |access-date=October 10, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830215733/https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/March1986.pdf |url-status=live }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=13,501|percentage=9.85}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Richard D. Murphy|votes=13,417|percentage=9.79}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brenda A. Sheriff|votes=12,994|percentage=9.48}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Julia Fairfax|votes=12,923|percentage=9.43}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brian G. Doherty|votes=12,839|percentage=9.36}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=William Allen E. Boyd|votes=12,684|percentage=9.25}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Stephan J. Evans|votes=12,669|percentage=9.24}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Charles J. Fogel|votes=12,517|percentage=9.13}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=LaFaye L. Casey|votes=12,133|percentage=8.85}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Paul J. Taxey|votes=10,967|percentage=8.00}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=William M. Cronin|votes=10,464|percentage=7.63}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1986 general election—Cook County Board of Commissioners, Chicago seats{{cite report |date= |title=General Election; Cook County, Illinois; Tuesday, November 4, 1986 |url=http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1986NovCombinedSummary.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003205005/http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1986NovCombinedSummary.pdf |archive-date=October 3, 2008 |publisher=Cook County Clerk's Office |page=12 |docket= |access-date= |quote=}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=George W. Dunne (incumbent)|votes=569,517|percentage=8.60}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Charles R. Bernardini|votes=528,928|percentage=7.99}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Jerry "Iceman" Butler (incumbent)|votes=527,951|percentage=7.58}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=John H. Stroger, Jr. (incumbent)|votes=520,930|percentage=7.87}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Irene C. Hernandez (incumbent)|votes=506,389|percentage=7.65}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Bobbie L. Steele|votes=503,110|percentage=7.60}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Frank A. Damato|votes=499,689|percentage=7.55}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Samuel G. Vaughan (incumbent)|votes=596,454|percentage=7.50}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Marco Domico|votes=485,772|percentage=7.34}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Rose-Marie Love|votes=482,230|percentage=7.29}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=205,219|percentage=3.10}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Richard D. Murphy|votes=158,041|percentage=2.39}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brian G. Doherty|votes=156,207|percentage=2.36}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brenda A. Sheriff|votes=146,631|percentage=2.22}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Julia Fairfax|votes=142,990|percentage=2.16}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=William Allen E. Boyd|votes=141,712|percentage=2.14}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=LaFaye L. Casey|votes=140,180|percentage=2.12}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Charles J. Fogel|votes=138,667|percentage=2.09}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Stephan J. Evans|votes=137,356|percentage=2.07}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Paul J. Taxey|votes=131,957|percentage=1.99}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1992 Republican primary—Cook County Recorder of Deeds{{cite report |date= |title=Primary Election; Cook County, Illinois; Tuesday, March 17, 1992 |url=https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/March1992.pdf |publisher=Cook County Clerk's Office |page=45 |docket= |access-date=October 10, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=October 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011045144/https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/March1992.pdf |url-status=live }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=152,939|percentage=100}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1992 general election—Cook County Recorder of Deeds{{cite report |date= |title=General Election; Cook County, Illinois; Tuesday, November 3, 1992 |url=http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1992NovCombinedSummary.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010121257/http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1992NovCombinedSummary.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2008 |publisher=Cook County Clerk's Office |page=11 |docket= |access-date= |quote=}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Jesse White (incumbent)|votes=1,121,885|percentage=58.07}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Susan Catania|votes=809,963|percentage=41.93}}

Notes

References

External links

{{Commons category inline}}

Category:1941 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:Politicians from Chicago

Category:Northwestern University alumni

Category:Saint Xavier University alumni

Category:University of Chicago alumni

Category:Women state legislators in Illinois

Category:Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives

Category:21st-century American women

Category:Deaths from fire in the United States

Category:Accidental deaths in Wisconsin

Category:20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly

Category:20th-century American women politicians