Barbara Flynn Currie

Barbara Flynn Currie (May 3, 1940 – April 16, 2026) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 2019. She served as the majority leader from 1997 to 2019. She was the first woman to hold this position, and is also the longest serving Illinois House majority leader to date. Flynn Currie's forty years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly is the longest tenure of any woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly.

Background and education Barbara Flynn grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Her father, Frank Flynn, taught at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She graduated from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in 1958, and enrolled at the College of the University of Chicago in the same year. She left the university in 1959 and married David P. Currie in 1960. As David was a law student and held jobs as a law clerk, the Curries lived outside Chicago until 1962, when David became an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. The Curries had two children: Stephen and Margaret.

Political positions Currie co-sponsored bills that established the Illinois earned income tax credit, repealed capital punishment, and legalized same-sex marriage.

In April 2019, Pritzker appointed Currie to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. Her husband, David, had created the board 50 years before her appointment, and served as its first chairman. She also served as the board's chairman, earning an annual salary of nearly $124,000. Currie knew that Madigan had recommended her. However, she denied his clout had played a role, instead pointing to her legislative track record and interactions with the governor. Her death was confirmed by Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who were among those who paid tribute.