U.S. Representative George W. Collins of Illinois died in a plane crash near Chicago Midway Airport at age 47. Collins had served in Congress since 1970 and was among the early African American members representing urban districts.
On the same day, Jewel Lafontant, a prominent African American attorney, was named Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, becoming one of the highest-ranking Black women in the federal legal system at the time.
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