Victor Arrigo Papers

An inventory of the collection at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Biographical Sketch

Victor A. Arrigo (1908-1973) was a Chicago lawyer and State Representative who worked with community organizations on issues pertaining to Italian-Americans. His numerous civic activities include writing, speaking, organizational leadership and sponsoring memorial activities for noteworthy Italian-Americans. Arrigo married Adeline Zach in 1942, residing in Chicago for the duration of his life. He died in 1973.

In 1908 Arrigo was born in Termini Imerese, Sicily to Italian-American parents visiting their native country. Upon return to the United States, the Arrigos settled on the Near West Side of Chicago. He attended Our Lady of Pompeii Elementary School, McKinley High School, Crane College, and DePaul University, earning a law degree from the latter in 1931. During World War II, Arrigo served in the army in North Africa, going on to serve as a prosecutor for the Allied Military Government Courts in Italy before his discharge in 1945.

After the war, Arrigo returned to practice law in Chicago and became involved with various Italian-American, arts, and education organizations. For six years he authored the "Our Legacy" column on Italian history for Fra Noi, an Italian-American community newspaper based in Chicago. In 1960, Arrigo organized the first Columbus Day parade in Chicago and served as parade commentator until 1972.

In 1967 Arrigo ran for the Illinois House of Representatives seat from the twentieth district, a position he won and held for three consecutive terms. In this capacity, he sponsored bills to commemorate Christopher Columbus and to denounce ethnic slurs such as "mafia". He also served on the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1970, where he successfully fought to incorporate the Folk Libel Bill into the new state constitution. Arrigo was honored by several organizations for his efforts to advance Italian-American causes, and served as guest lecturer at DePaul University for the Sojourn in Italy program.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains papers collected by Victor Arrigo, highlighting his own biography and his work on issues pertaining to Italian-Americans. Materials primarily include photos, clippings, yearbooks, organizational literature, correspondence, and awards.

Removed from Collection:

The Story of the Collection, Sol Bloom, 1937

Your Rugged Constitution, Bruce and Esther Findlay, 1950

llinois Constitution: An Annotated and Comparative Analysis, George Braden and Rubin Cohn, 1969

Detailed Description/Box and Folder Listing