Irene C. Hernandez, the first Hispanic elected to the Cook County Board, died Saturday in her West Rogers Park home after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 82.
Mrs. Hernandez began her political life in 1943 at a time when few Latinos were involved in Chicago politics. She spent 20 years as a county commissioner and was active in all local Democratic campaigns until her retirement in 1994.
“She was a wonderful woman and a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed,” said George Dunne, the former longtime Cook County Board president. “She was dedicated to the people she represented and to all the residents of Cook County.”
Mrs. Hernandez moved through the Democratic Party ranks by working as a volunteer on several campaigns. She eventually served as an election judge, precinct captain and a party delegate.
In 1974, she was appointed at the request of Mayor Richard J. Daley to fill a vacancy on the Cook County Board. A court bailiff at the time, she became one of the first Latinos in the state to hold a prominent office.
She successfully ran for election five times.
“She didn’t necessarily love politics, but she loved people and she loved helping people,” said her daughter, Elda Anderson. “She spent almost the entire day answering calls from people across the county and trying to do whatever she could to help them out. She rarely said no.”
On the County Board, Mrs. Hernandez championed the causes of the underprivileged, said Dunne. For decades, she pushed the county to provide health care to those who could not afford it.
Called an equalizer by some, Mrs. Hernandez often was called upon to draft amendments to the yearly budget after elected officials offered suggested changes.
Richard Phelan, who served as Cook County Board president from 1990 to 1994, said Hernandez was “like an older sister” he often turned to for guidance.
“She was a very gentle, wonderful person who had a deep understanding of politics and the issues that faced us,” Phelan recalled. “She was so caring and concerned about the public, yet she was very pragmatic and understood what was necessary to get the job done.”
Mrs. Hernandez was born in Taylor, Texas, in 1916 to Mexico-born parents. She grew up speaking Spanish in her home. Her father passed away when she was age 3 and her mother moved the family to Chicago when Mrs. Hernandez was 10.
Mrs. Hernandez worked as a Spanish-English stenographer for several export firms and worked in the Venezuelan and Argentine consulates in Chicago.
In the 1960s, she was hired by the state’s attorney’s office as the personal assistant to the chief of the fraud and complaint division. Her bilingual abilities made her an invaluable asset, as she served as a translator for complainants and defendants in criminal cases.
She was a close ally of Mayor Richard J. Daley, and often praised the mayor for giving her a break in politics.
Mrs. Hernandez was very active in the Mexican-American community. She volunteered with the Cordi-Marian Women’s auxiliary and helped organize the first Mexican-American cotillion, an annual affair which has been held in Chicago for more than 40 years.
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by four other daughters, Irene M. Hernandez, Cynthia Kolski, Debra Romero and Diane Zendejas; two sons, William and Joseph; 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Alvarez Funeral Home, 2500 N. Cicero Ave. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 700 W. Adams St.