Illinois state Rep. Mark Beaubien, Jr., died June 5. The Republican from Barrington Hills voted for the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act and in favor of adding "sexual orientation" to the Illinois Human Rights Act.
Beaubien, 68, collapsed at a House Republican fundraiser at Arlington Racetrack.
According to IlHouseGOP.org, Beaubien received his B.A. degree from Northwestern University in 1964 and his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1967. Beaubien and his wife, Dee, had been married for more than four decades and have two sons and five grandchildren.
"He will be sorely missed," said Lowell Jaffe, political and policy director for The Civil Rights Agenda ( TCRA ) , said in a statement. "Representative Beaubien was a statesman, he voted his conscience and wasn't afraid of the prevailing political winds.
It's particularly sad as we celebrate the enactment of civil unions, the votes were close and he spoke with Republicans who were afraid to do the right thing out of fear of opposition in the next primary election. Ironically, I was in his district today, enjoying the beach in Wauconda. The people there are fiercely independent and I hope Republican leadership respects his legacy by appointing a replacement that honors his commitment to civil rights."
"This is truly a tragic loss for Illinois," said Anthony Martinez, TCRA's executive director. "I recall the time that Representative Beaubien stood in support of Representative Deb Mell after she announced her engagement to longtime partner Christin Baker on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives. He stood for the will of the people and that is the mark of a true Representative. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Gay Republican David Valkema, a Chicagoan, posted on Facebook: "Mark listened to me as well as thousands of Illinois' gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. He heard and understood the need to allow all Illinoisans to be equal. He made a promise to me three years ago in the hallway behind his Capital Building office that he delivered upon [ Nov. 30, 2010 ] with the bravery to be the casting Republican vote for contractual civil unions.
"I saw Mark at a political function a few months ago and once again thanked him for his vote on civil unions. He replied back to me what I knew he would. He said, 'It was the right thing to do, you know that as well as I do, and hopefully the rest of America will come to realize it sooner than later.'
"Mark was a good and honorable man. The world is a better and changed place because he had the bravery to reach up and grab the moral arc of the universe and help pull it toward justice. I will miss him dearly."