James Houlihan

James Houlihan is an American politician who served as Cook County assessor from 1997 to 2010 and as an Illinois state representative from 1973 to 1979.

Early life Houlihan was born in 1942 or 1943. Houlihan was born and raised in the 19th ward on Chicago's far southwest side.

In the 1970s, Houlihan served as an independent-minded Illinois state representative from a district on Chicago's northern lakefront. He had ties to prominent lakefront liberals. He was elected in 1972 and reelected in 1974, but was defeated in the 1978 Democratic primary.

At the time Houlihan took office, residential properties in Cook County were undervalued.

During his tenure, Houlihan's office was reported to have disregarded legal requirements and operated outside professional assessment standards.

In 2010, Houlihan accused Joseph Berrios and Michael Madigan of withholding information from taxpayers that could affect the November general election.

That same year, Houlihan said he was considering a campaign for mayor of Chicago in the 2011 Chicago mayoral election. He ultimately did not enter the race.

Later career

After leaving office, Houlihan became a state lobbyist. His tenure on the commission ended in 2019.

Electoral history Illinois State Representative 1972

Cook County Assessor 1998

2002

2006