Joseph A. Tecson recognized as the first Asian American commissioner on the Cook County Board

The County Historian for Cook County, in conjunction with the Cook County Board of Commissioners, proudly recognizes Joseph A. Tecson on the 43^rd anniversary of his swearing in, February 11, 1976, as the first Asian American commissioner on the Cook County Board. The County Archives’ Twitter and Instagram accounts mark this occasion, beginning today.

Tecson, a founding principal of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., was passionate about public and community service. He served as a delegate with the Constitutional Convention which drafted a new constitution for Illinois in 1970 that is still in effect. In his five years of service to the Cook County Board, he was on the committee that oversaw Cook County Hospital. Tecson’s zest for public service further extended to serving on the boards of MacNeal Hospital and Brookfield Zoo, and he was one of the greatest proponents of the zoo’s continual upgrades and addition of new exhibits. Tecson was dedicated to expanding public transportation and was the initial chair of the board of the Regional Transportation Authority, then subsequently served on the Metra Board. Further, he was frequently called upon to serve as special counsel to government agencies, including the Department of Public Aid, the Illinois Department of Insurance and the Medical Disciplinary Board. Tecson was also the municipal attorney for the Village of North Riverside.

On his way to becoming a ground-breaking attorney in Chicago’s legal community, Tecson attended college on the G.I. bill and worked his way through law school. His commitment to both service and diversity and inclusion has created a culture at Chuhak & Tecson where each person is included, listened to and supported as they strive to achieve their personal best. With the founding of Chuhak & Tecson in 1987, he led the firm’s governmental and healthcare practices. Today, the 11-attorney firm he co-founded over 30 years ago now boasts over 65 attorneys and as many staff members and paraprofessionals.

Each day the firm continues to adhere to the decorum Tecson instilled in the firm three decades ago—integrity, hard work, quality, community service, civility toward one another and, equally important, a sense of humor. His dedication to community service alone lives on today through the initiatives founded by the firm’s principals, such as Women Helping Women, Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Service and the Joseph A. Tecson Scholarship Fund, along with myriad programs the firm participates in that include Lawyers in the Classroom, Lakeview East Festival of the Arts and Volunteers of America of Illinois’ Operation Backpack.

The firm recognizes and congratulates the family of Mr. Joseph A. Tecson on his being the first Asian American commissioner elected to the Cook County Board.