Changing people’s minds politically doesn’t come easy. American politics has become tribal with each camp distrusting the other. But there are times when the tides will turn and persistence pays off. Being prepared for that opportunity sometimes takes long-term effort and people like Truman Kirkpatrick.
This piece is partially excerpted from my forthcoming book A History of the York Center Co-op. that will be published and available in late August 2026.
Truman Kirkpatrick was a life-long dedicated Democratic activist who persisted in the face of overwhelming odds. He was never discouraged by long odds during his organizing in DuPage County. Over many years, when the county was totally in the grips of Republicans, he laid the foundation for the rise of the Democratic Party in the county a decade after his death.
Truman was born the son of a Methodist minister in South Bend, IN in 1913. His family moved to Chicago where he grew up, attending Hyde Park High School and the University of Chicago as a chemistry major. During World War II Truman served in Alternative Service as a conscientious objector in Coshockton, OH, and at Duke University. During that time, he met and married Barbara Bowman.
Truman and Barbara moved back to the Chicago area after the war and joined the York Center Cooperative Community, a progressive interracial land co-op located near Lombard, IL. He designed and self-built their house, moving into it in 1952. During the time Truman and Barbara were building their home he was also working full time as an industrial process chemist for the Sherwin-Williams Co.
Kirkpatrick was a tireless organizer and spokesperson for progressive issues. He did a great deal of work to revive the Democratic Party in DuPage County, which had been had not been an organized or significant for several generations. In the 1950s he founded the Lombard Democratic Club and The DuPage Democrat newsletter that was printed by mimeograph from his home. The club eventually merged with the official Democratic Party of DuPage County.
Truman’s club and newsletter helped pull the small number of Democrats around the county together into what finally had some influence and electoral success in the early 2000s. He published The DuPage Democrat, for nearly thirty-five years. Due to his tremendous efforts and high profile, the Chicago Tribune labeled him “the dean” of the modern DuPage Democratic Party. (Zemaitis, 1997)
Truman was also a perennial candidate, running for a number of local offices, though he knew there was no chance of winning. Some of the offices he ran for include Illinois State Representative, DuPage County Clerk, and York Township Trustee. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida in 1972. (Kestenbaum, 2017)
Mark Starkovich, a Democratic York Township Supervisor from 1989 to 1983 said, “He was intellectually open-minded but argued his political convictions convincingly…[he] was persistent in his beliefs, especially liberal causes.” (Zemaitis, 1997) Other Democrats remember that Truman made his presence known at every meeting he attended. One of Truman’s favorite sayings was “It’s not a sin to be a Democrat”, which was his sarcastic commentary on the one-sided politics of the county. (Gregory, 2000)
Truman was a constant thorn in the side of the local Republican power structure. Unfortunately, this reminded the local power brokers of the existence of his Co-op community, and resulted in some political retribution. In spite of this, the Co-op’s precinct went consistently Democratic; one of only a couple in DuPage County until the 1970s.
He was married to Barbara, a psychiatric social worker and therapist, for over 54 years. They raised four children and had five grandchildren. Truman had a love of camping and hiking. He took his family on numerous family trips around the country, including to Washington state and Alaska. These trips often included photography and provided many fond memories for the family.
Truman Kirkpatrick passed away at the age of 84 in 1997.
NOTE:
Truman Kirpatrick was the first historian of the York Center Co-op Community. Without his record of the early events in his unpublished monograph, my book would have been much more difficult to write. To honor his efforts, I included large unedited sections of his monograph. My book, A History of the York Center Co-op, will soon be available for sale as a paperback and an E-book.
REFERENCES:
Zemaitis, G.J. (1997 Dec 5). Loyal Democrat Truman Kirkpatrick. Chicago Tribune.
Kestenbaum, L. (2017 July 16). DuPage County Delegates to National Party Convention. The Political Graveyard,. Web page, http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/IL/DP-parties.html.
Gregory, T. (2000 September 3). Underdog Party Has Bite To Go With Bark; Democrats Believe Their Time Is Near. Chicago Tribune.
Shirky, M. R. correspondence and interviews, P. Kirkpatrick and Co-op members.
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Julia, a long time DuPage Democrat who knew Truman said, "This is a great piece. Thanks so much for the documentation...We were very active together in the Democratic party. I just gave a 10 minute talk yesterday at church on the history I know of in DuPage.The theme of the service was on how to keep one's sanity through action. It's worked for me!"