Peoria Standard

Rep. Norine Hammond exemplified Corrine Wood in her speech to start Women’s History Month.

While delivering her speech in the chamber, Hammond spoke highly of former Lt. Gov. Corrine Wood, who was also the first female lieutenant governor of Illinois.

"Corinne Wood was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor for Illinois, but she was much more than that. She was a mother, a wife, a lawmaker, a lawyer, a health care advocate and an ethics champion. Corrine graduated from Loyola University Law School in 1979 and practiced law in Chicago for more than 20 years. Corrine often referred to herself as a 'recovering attorney.' Then in 1996 she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives where she sponsored more bills that were signed into law than any other freshman state representative. She was considered one of the hardest working legislators in the Illinois General Assembly and her hard work did not go unnoticed. While serving in her first term, Corrine was chosen to run for lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket, winning the election in the fall of 1998. On Jan. 11 of 1999 Corrine Wood made history as she was sworn in as the first female lieutenant governor of the state of Illinois," Hammond said in her speech.

Wood died in 2021 when she was 66 years of age. She had metastatic breast cancer and was dealing with her recovery after surgery. At the time of her death, her immediate family members were all by her side.

Wood was also an attorney and she had a background in legislative and corporate law. She also served as general counsel to the Illinois commissioner of banks and trusts. Before she was elected to the public office, she was president of the Lake County Republican Federation fundraising organization.

Back in the 2000s, she had left the political arena but her work continued as she joined the board of CHANGE Illinois and the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation. 

"She was very committed to improving ethics in Illinois and very much committed to the battle to try to end gerrymandering, and she was a key contributor to shaping our strategy on various attempts over the years to get an independent redistricting commission in Illinois," said Madeleine Doubek, a former reporter with the Arlington Heights Daily Herald who covered several stories on Wood.