Dupage Policy Journal

In a move that has ignited significant controversy, the DuPage County Board is set to vote Tuesday, Feb. 11 on a resolution that would strip the name of Henry J. Hyde, a long-serving U.S. Congressman, from the county’s judicial office facility in Wheaton.

Critics of the renaming argue that the move is a part of a broader trend of "cancel culture" that seeks to erase the legacies of historical figures due to controversies in their pasts. 

Local political action group Safe Suburbs USA has vocally opposed the proposed resolution. 

“It’s hard to believe this is real but it is,” Safe Suburbs USA said in a post on X. 

"Agenda item 9A1 on Tuesday's DuPage County Agenda. They will vote on whether or not to cancel Henry Hyde, the prolific DuPage legislator who represented Illinois in Washington, D.C. for decades and is the one who secured the money used to build the courthouse in the first place.Tell your DuPage County Board Members to reject cancel culture and vote down this insult to a historic DuPage County political figure. Stop trying to replace our history with woke crazy!"

Hyde, a Republican politician and former U.S. Congressman from Illinois, represented the 6th Congressional District for over three decades, from 1975 until his retirement in 2007. 

He was a pivotal figure in American politics, known for his role as a leader in the House Judiciary Committee and his prominent role during the impeachment proceedings of President Bill Clinton in 1998. Hyde’s legacy is marked by his contributions to U.S. law, foreign policy, and his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. 

In 2007, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his decades of service to the country.

In 2010, the DuPage County Board passed a resolution naming the county’s judicial office facility in Hyde's honor, recognizing his political career and his instrumental role in securing the funding used to construct the building. The measure also authorized the creation of a monument dedicated to Hyde, which would stand in front of the facility.

However, the DuPage County Board now seeks to reverse this decision.

The proposed resolution would rescind the 2010 ordinance that named the facility after Hyde and remove his name from the building entirely.

The resolution seeks to revoke the designation granted to Hyde posthumously. 

It also includes a provision to dismantle a planned monument honoring Hyde, which was to be erected without the use of public funds.