DuPage County Board resolution would remove Henry Hyde’s name from courthouse

A resolution before the DuPage County Board on Tuesday would remove the name of the late Congressman Henry J. Hyde from the county’s Wheaton courthouse and rescind previous approval for a monument there in his honor.

The courthouse became the Henry J. Hyde Judicial Office Facility in 2010, three years after the Republican lawmaker from Wood Dale died at 83 years old.

The new measure, if approved, would rename the building the DuPage County Judicial Office Facility.

During an interview Sunday, County Board Chair Deb Conroy referenced the Hyde Amendment, legislation introduced by Hyde in 1976 that prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, with some exceptions.

“While Henry Hyde was a very well respected Republican elected official, the Hyde Amendment is very offensive to women, particularly women in Illinois,” said Conroy, a Democrat from Elmhurst. “I think overwhelmingly women in Illinois believe that all women have the right to health care, regardless of their ability to have private insurance.”

Conroy said she told a Daily Herald editorial board in 2022 that she would take this action if elected chair.

“I consider myself a woman of my word,” she added. “I very much value my bipartisan board, and we work very well together, which is why I put it off for two years.”

If the full board approves the resolution, the Hyde family would receive a plaque that would be removed from the building.

James Zay, a Republican county board member from Carol Stream, called the effort to remove Hyde’s name “narrow-minded.”

“Henry Hyde did so much for DuPage County,” said Zay, who supported the renaming in 2010. “He brought so much funding into DuPage County for stormwater, for roads.”

While the conservative Hyde may be best known for the amendment that bears his name, as well as his leading role in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Zay noted that he also supported gun control measures like the Brady bill and assault weapons ban.

“You can’t rewrite history,” he added. “My question is, who is next? Is it going to be Linda Kurzawa’s name at the health department building? Or Jack Knuepfer? Or Pate Philip?”

Former Hyde aide Patrick Durante also criticized the proposal, questioning whether its supporters understand the lawmaker’s impact on DuPage County.

“He was instrumental in getting I-355, built, him and former (board Chair) Jack Knuepfer. That was no small task,” he said.

Hyde also helped the county address flooding issues and noise surrounding O’Hare International Airport, Durante said.

But county board member Dawn DeSart, a Democrat from Aurora, said the proposed move reflects a shift away from partisanship.

“The fair thing is to make the courthouse nonpartisan,” she said.

The board is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the county board room at 421 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton.

· Staff writer Robert Sanchez contributed to this report

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250209/news/dupage-county-board-resolution-would-henry-hydes-name-from-courthouse/