James A. McLendon, 86, a longtime Chicago lawyer and former Illinois state representative and senator, was the first African-American in Cook County to serve as a master in chancery.
Mr. McLendon, a resident of Santa Monica, Calif., died at home of a heart attack Friday.
He was born in Washington, Ga. His father, T.M.C. McLendon, was a Baptist minister and an undertaker.
He graduated from high school and college at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., where he was captain of the debating team and a varsity baseball player.
He received his law degree from Northwestern University, working summers as a dining car waiter to pay tuition. Before opening his law office, he worked as a social worker for the Chicago Welfare Department.
In 1941, he joined the Army as a private and served until 1946. He served on the judge advocate general`s staff. When he was discharged, he was a major, subsequently becoming a lieutenant colonel in the Reserves. His father-in-law, the late Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr., was the first black general in the Army.
Mr. McLendon was appointed in 1947 to be a master in chancery in what was then the Superior Court. He was subsequently appointed by Gov. Adlai Stevenson as a commissioner for the Illinois Industrial Commission.
He was chosen president of the Cook County Bar Association in 1957.
Mr. McLendon was elected to the Illinois House in 1966 and served there until being elected to the state Senate in 1978. He also served as a staff attorney for the CTA.
His wife, Elnora, is his only immediate survivor.
Services will be Friday in Los Angeles.James A. McLendon
