Abner Mikva grew up on the south side of Chicago, and began his political career following a one-year clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court. He became interested in politics in the late 1940s, identifying himself as an independent Democrat - a strong supporter of Adlai Stevenson but not part of the powerful Chicago Democratic machine. Mikva served in the Illinois legislature from 1956 to 1966 representing the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to January 1973. He was maneuvered out of office due to redistricting, then represented the Evanston area in Congress from 1975 to 1979, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (not a subject of this interview). In 1994 he began a one-year hitch as President Bill Clinton's legal advisor. He then returned to Chicago, taught law, and became one of Barack Obama's mentors and early supporters in the late 1990s.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
"Who Sent You?"
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Early life, military service and legal training
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Entrance into Illinois politics and early years in legislature
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Legislative career and Illinois politics in the 1960s
Interview Session 04 (Audio)
Loss in the 1966 Congressional race and more on IL politics
Interview Session 05 (Audio)
1968 Congressional election, ’68 Convention and early time in Congress
Interview Session 06 (Audio)
Defeat in 1972 election, and return to Congress and service to 1979
Interview Session 07 (Audio)
Pres. Bill Clinton’s White House counsel, 1994-95
Interview Session 08 (Audio)
Pres. Clinton’s WH counsel and association with Barack Obama
Videos
Photos
Caption
Abner Mikva with Justice Sherman Minton and his fellow law clerks. Mikva served as Minton’s clerk in 1951-52 after earning his JD from the University of Chicago Law School.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1951-52
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Abner Mikva’s photo from the 1957-1958 edition of the Illinois Blue Book. At that time, he served as a representative from the Twenty-Third District in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Where:
Illinois Blue Book
When:
1957-1958
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Abner Mikva concedes his race for Congress in 1966. Mikva’s wife, Zoe is also pictured.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1966
Ownership:
May be restricted. Photo taken from the University of Chicago Magazine.
Caption
Abner Mikva’s photo from the Illinois Blue Book, 1977-1978. He represented Illinois’s Tenth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975-1979.
Where:
Illinois Blue Book
When:
1977-1978
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
President Jimmy Carter joined Representative Mikva on the campaign trail in 1978.
Where:
Illinois
When:
1978
Ownership:
May be restricted. Photo taken from the University of Chicago Magazine.
Caption
Abner Mikva poses for a photo with President Jimmy Carter on November 2, 1978. The photo is signed by President Carter, “To my good friend Ab Mikva”.
Where:
Illinois
When:
November 2, 1978
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain. White House photo.
Caption
A photograph of Abner Mikva and Tip O’Neill, the Speaker of the House, taken circa 1977-1979. The photo is signed by O’Neill, “Best to a great Democrat, beautiful guy, and wonderful friend”.
Where:
Illinois
When:
Circa 1977-1979
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Judge Mikva is pictured with members of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1983. Also pictured are Judges Bork, Starr, Wald, Ginsburg, Scalia in the back, and MacKinnon, Wright, Robinson, Tamm, and Wilkey.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
1983
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
An official photograph of Mikva shortly after he was appointed Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1991. He served as Chief Judge until 1994.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1991
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Abner Mikva with President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore when Mikva was named White House counsel on August 11, 1994.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
August 11, 1994
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain. White House photo.
Caption
Abner Mikva poses for a picture with Bill Clinton on October 28, 1995 while Mikva served as Clinton’s Chief Counsel.
Where:
Unknown
When:
October 28, 1995
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain. White House photo.
Caption
A photo of Abner Mikva, taken in 1996 at the University of Chicago where he taught law.
Where:
University of Chicago
When:
1996
Ownership:
May be restricted. Photo taken from the University of Chicago Magazine by Dan Dry.
Caption
Abner Mikva poses for a picture with Senator Barack Obama and Newton Minow. The picture is signed by Senator Obama and reads, “Thanks for your friendship, counsel, and encouragement all these years
Where:
Unknown
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain. White House photo.
Caption
Judge Mikva appeared in this caricature of Mount Rushmore with his fellow law partners Milton Shadur, Arthur Goldberg and Carl Devoe (with Mikva on the right) to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the law firm Goldberg, Devoe, Shadur & Mikva.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
In November 2014 Judge Mikva received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his former protégé, President Barack Obama, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
Where:
East Room of the White House
When:
November 2014
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain. White House photo.