Penny Pullen served as a Republican in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1977 to 1992, taking over the seat of Representative Robert Juckett following his death. For the next fifteen years she was a prominent conservative voice in the IL House, a fiscal conservative, vocal opponent to the Equal Rights Amendment, and leading advocate for right to life issues. She won reelection in 1990 only after a IL Supreme Court decision declared her the winner against an opponent who was backed by national pro-choice forces, then lost in the Republican primary of 1992 to the same candidate, Rosemary Mulligan. Pullen devoted the rest of her life to pro-life work.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Recalling an issue in regards to state support for the White Sox Stadium
Abstract
Interview Session 1 - Audio
Early life and early Illinois state legislative career
Interview Session 2 - Audio
Equal Rights Amendment fight in Illinois
Interview Session 3 - Audio
Legislative career from 1982 through 1992
Interview Session 4 - Audio
Post legislative career and Life Advocacy Resource Project
Photos
Caption:
Penny Pullen in 1976 as a first-time candidate for State Representative.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1976
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen was one of Illinois’s youngest state legislators in 1977 when she began serving her first term in the Illinois House.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1977
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
This Stop ERA “citizen petition” ad appeared in Springfield’s State Journal-Register in 1978, promoting an event featuring Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly and Penny Pullen as a leading Stop-ERA state lawmaker.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1978
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption:
In a 1978 State-Journal Register ad, Penny Pullen emphasizes concern about Section 2 of the Equal Rights Amendment, shifting power in family policy matters from state and local to the federal government. Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority sponsored the ad.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1978
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption:
Penny Pullen at the podium for one of her fundraising brunches in the mid-1980s. Pullen represented the 55th District in the Illinois House, which included her hometown of Park Ridge, Illinois.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Circa mid-1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen speaks at a GOP banquet, circa 1980s.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen presents a bill to an Illinois House committee in the Stratton Building.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen testified before an Illinois House Committee, displaying a computer-generated drawing of anticipated noise impact from a proposed O’Hare Airport expansion.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen addresses reporters at a news conference in Springfield, Illinois, flanked by Rep. Ron Stephens and Rep. Tim Johnson.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen converses with State Senator Virginia MacDonald as they wait in the Illinois House chamber for convening of a joint session, circa 1980s.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen addressed a large pro-family rally on the east steps of the Illinois State Capitol. She was a passionate pro-life advocate for her entire career.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Representative Pullen surveys construction progress at the city’s Des Plaines River pumping station with the Park Ridge city manager. She secured funding for the project in the late 1980s.
Where:
Park Ridge, Illinois
When:
Late 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen discusses pending legislation with Rep. Ed Petka. Rep. DeLoris Doederlein and Rep. Bernard Pedersen are in the foreground, in their assigned seats in the Illinois House chamber.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen asking questions during a House debate.
Where:
House Chambers in Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen meets the press in a noise-impacted neighborhood near O’Hare Airport, with State Rep. Roger McAuliffe and House GOP Leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst at her right.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption:
Penny Pullen responds to reporters in a noise-impacted neighborhood near O’Hare Airport, as Rep. Lolita Didrickson looks on.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
Circa 1980s
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption:
Penny Pullen in her State Capitol office on “swearing-in” day in January 1991.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1991
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Penny Pullen welcomes Vietnam POW and U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton at her fundraising brunch in Illinois in 1992.
Where:
Illinois
When:
1992
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption:
Penny Pullen with U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in his office in Washington.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Circa mid-1990s
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption:
Penny Pullen in a church directory portrait, circa 2010.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Circa 2010
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.