He practiced law and was an assistant state's attorney. In 1956, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a Democrat. As a member of the House, he served on a special House committee on reapportionment, as chairman of an interim legislative committee that set up the Illinois Fair Employment Practices Commission, and as chairman of the House Elections Committee.[1]
In 1966, he was elected to the Illinois State Senate. In 1975, he was elected as President of the Illinois Senate, becoming the first black person to serve in that role and the first to head a state legislature anywhere in the United States since the end of Reconstruction.[1]
During the 1970s, Partee served as Democratic Party committeeman for Chicago's 20th ward. He was credited in his Chicago Tribune obituary for playing an important role in helping Harold Washington win a close election for State Representative while in this position.[1]
City Treasurer of Chicago
In 1979, he successfully ran for City Treasurer of Chicago.[1] He won re-election twice and served in the office until 1989.[3]
Cook County State's Attorney
Partee was appointed State Attorney for Cook County on April 24, 1989, when Richard M. Daley was elected Mayor of Chicago. He was the first black person to serve in this office, and the last until Kim Foxx in 2016.[1] He lost a special election for the office to Republican candidate Jack O'Malley on November 6, 1990.
^Grant, Keneshia Nicole (2020). The great migration and the Democratic party: Black voters and the realignment of American politics in the 20th century. Temple University Press. ISBN978-1-4399-1747-3. OCLC1122682592.
