Roland V. Libonati

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Roland V. Libonati
Libonati, c. 1959
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th district
In office December 31, 1957 – January 3, 1965
Preceded by	James Bowler
Succeeded by	Frank Annunzio
Member of the Illinois Senate
In office 1942–1947
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
In office 1930–1934
In office 1940–1942
Personal details
Born	(1897-12-29)December 29, 1897 Chicago, Illinois
Died	May 30, 1991(1991-05-30) (aged 93) Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jeannette Van Hanxleden ​ ​ (m. 1942)​
Children	1
Parents	Ernest Libonati (father) Flora Pellettieri (mother)
Alma mater	Lewis Institute University of Michigan Northwestern University Law School
Occupation	Lawyer politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Rank	lieutenant
Conflict	World War I

Roland Victor Libonati (December 29, 1897 – May 30, 1991) was a United States Representative from Illinois.

Libonati was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ernest and Flora (née Pellettieri) Libonati.^[1] He earned an Associate of Arts degree from the Lewis Institute in 1918. During World War I, he served as a lieutenant in the United States Army. After the war, Libonati returned to school, graduating from the University of Michigan in 1921 and from the Northwestern University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1924.

Libonati was admitted to the bar in 1924 and commenced law practice in Chicago. He was the founder and owner of the American Boys' Camp for indigent children at Coloma, Wisconsin, and, infamously, was also lawyer to Al Capone.

He married Jeannette Van Hanxleden in 1942, and they had one son, Michael.^[2]

He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1930 to 1934 from 1940 to 1942, and the Illinois Senate from 1942 to 1947. He served as delegate to every state Democratic convention from 1942 to 1987.

Libonati was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James B. Bowler. He was reelected to the Eighty-sixth, Eighty-seventh, and the Eighty-eighth Congresses (December 31, 1957 – January 3, 1965).

According to Todd S. Purdum's An Idea Whose Time Has Come, Libonati's political career ended as a result of his votes during the drafting of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Libonati had been a reliable ally of Richard J. Daley's Cook County Democratic Party political machine. During the House Judiciary Committee markup on the civil rights bill, he reneged on agreements with Chairman Emanuel Celler and President John F. Kennedy, who had asked him to help weaken the bill in order to ensure it could win Republican support and pass a Senate filibuster. Libonati instead voted with liberal colleagues who wanted to maintain the bill's stronger provisions, even though Kennedy had spoken to Daley directly to complain about his behavior. In a private conversation with a colleague shortly after the vote, Libonati said he had received a call from the Daley machine indicating that his political career was over.^[3]

Libonati was not a candidate for renomination to the Eighty-ninth Congress in 1964.

Following his political career, he resumed the practice of law. He was a resident of Chicago until his death on May 30, 1991. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.

• United States Congress. "Roland V. Libonati (id: L000299)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress