Harris H. Agnew
In Memoriam
1936 - 2011

Former Chief 17th Circuit Judge Harris Agnew served the Rockford area from the bench for over 21 years.  He was father to Pat, grandfather to Adam and Alex (as well as their sister, Ellie), and uncle to Michelle Dumoulin

and Jenny Beeber.  

 

Prior to his judgeship, Harris attended Northern Illinois University.  While attending Northern Illinois University, he met his wife, Pegee, whom he married in 1959.  After working for several years in the insurance industry, Harris opted to further his education by attending law school at The John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois Chicago School of Law).  Shortly into his law career, Harris accepted a juvenile court judgeship.  On December 1, 1980, Harris advanced to the 17th Circuit through an appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court.  His judicial career would be defined by his wisdom, temperament, and sense of fairness, and he was instrumental in championing one of the State’s first mandatory arbitration and major civil mediation programs.  Harris would continue to serve on the 17th Circuit before ultimately retiring from the bench in 1997.  Prior to his retirement, Harris spent over 10 years as the Chief Judge of the 17th Circuit (1982-1986 and 1990-1997).

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After his retirement, Harris renewed his dedication to the community by serving for 12 years on the Rockford Park District Board, which included a full term as its president.  While doing so, he also volunteered for several other community organizations, such as the Rockford Regional Advisor Committee with the Department of Children and Family Services, Kiwanis, and the Rockford Register Star’s Editorial Board.  He was also instrumental in advancing the services of the local legal community, serving as the Chair of the Illinois Judicial Conference's Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Illinois Judges Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees.  In 2011, Harris was ultimately recognized for his widespread service to the community by the Resolution Systems Institute (a nonprofit whose mission is to strengthen access to justice by enhancing court alternative dispute resolution systems) with the renaming of their community service award to the Harris H. Agnew Service to Community Award.  He was further honored by the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law by its establishment of the Harris H. Agnew Visiting Professor of Dispute Resolution award in 2015.