James Meeks
| James Meeks | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 15th district |
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In office January 8, 2003 – January 9, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Napoleon Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 4, 1956 Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jamell Meeks |
| Profession | Minister |
| Religion | Baptist |
James T. Meeks (born August 4, 1956) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 15th district from 2003 to 2013. He is also an active Baptist minister in Chicago and chaired the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. He briefly campaigned for Mayor of Chicago in the 2011 election before dropping out of the race. He has now become a leading figure in the campaign to prevent same-sex marriage in Illinois.
Meeks is a graduate of Chicago's Harper High School and continued his education at Bishop College in Dallas, where he earned a degree in Religion and Philosophy.
In 1985, Meeks founded Salem Baptist Church of Chicago where the congregation has grown from 200 to more than 20,000 today. The church has two locations devoted to worship; the 'Old' Salem Baptist Church, built between 1912 and 1913 is a former Roman Catholic Church that is one of Chicago's historic Polish Cathedrals designed by Erhard Brielamier & Sons, while the 'New' Salem Baptist Church is known as the House of Hope and was completed in 2005.
In 2002, Meeks became the first state senator to be elected as an Independent. He won re-election in 2006 as a Democrat. In November 2011, he announced that he would not seek reelection when his current term ended in January 2013.
In 1998, Meeks led a movement to “dry up” Roseland Community by collecting votes to close 26 liquor stores. He also created a mentoring program called “It Takes a Village ” which provides support and assistance to pregnant youth and young mothers.
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