Ann Tighe was a longtime Chicago criminal defense attorney whom Illinois’ U.S. senators considered recommending to the White House as the first woman to named the top federal prosecutor for the Chicago-based Northern District of Illinois.
Ultimately, Illinois senators chose a man for that job, and to this day that role has never been held by a woman.
Tighe nonetheless distinguished herself during her long legal career in Chicago, colleagues said, which began in the U.S. attorney’s office and wound up lasting close to a half-century.
“Ann was a trailblazer. She was one of the first women hired into the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office and quickly rose to prominence,” said Ted Poulos, a longtime law partner. “Soon after, the legendary George Cotsirilos recruited her to join him in private practice and she became the first lady of the white-collar criminal defense bar.”
Tighe, 87, died of heart failure Oct. 20 at her Chicago home, said her husband of 53 years, former Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan. She had been a resident of east Lakeview, and also had a home in Beverly Shores, Indiana.
Born Ann Caroline Tighe in Evanston in 1939, she grew up in Highland Park and graduated from Highland Park High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University in 1961.
After spending several years in San Francisco, Tighe returned to the Chicago area and worked for a social program involving children from Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing project. She also worked for the federal public defender’s office in Chicago before deciding to attend law school.
After earning a law degree from Northwestern University in 1973, Tighe worked as an assistant federal prosecutor in Chicago. In 1978, she left the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago after five years to go into private practice, working at what was then known as Cotsirilos & Crowley. There, she practiced white-collar criminal defense work.
“Ann was full of joy — all the time. She had the most finely tuned funny bone of anyone I’ve ever known, and her wonderfully unique laugh was utterly infectious,” Poulos said. “She made coming to the office something to look forward to. I’ll always remember the laughter and happiness she brought to everyone around her. On the other hand, professionally, Ann was tough as nails. She knew how to expertly take a case apart and was a fierce advocate for her clients. But she did it with class and style.”
In November 1997, President Bill Clinton’s administration was seeking applicants for the job of top federal prosecutor in Chicago after the resignation of U.S. Attorney Jim Burns.
Illinois’ senators named Tighe one of three finalists for the position, along with Scott Lassar and Andrea Zopp, and the Tribune’s editorial board wrote in November 1997 that some legal observers saw Tighe as the front-runner for U.S. attorney, if not the de facto nominee.
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However, Tighe drew opposition — including from the Chicago Council of Lawyers — because a short time earlier, her husband had been appointed Cook County Assessor. Some bar groups said Tighe’s appointment would place an extraordinary amount of political and legal power inside one household, particularly given the conflict of interest inherent in placing the wife of a prominent Cook County Democrat “in a job that routinely places Cook County Democrats in prison,” the Tribune’s Bruce Dold wrote in 1997.
Ultimately, Illinois’ senators chose Lassar instead, and he won Senate confirmation to be U.S. attorney.
Tighe continued her work as a defense attorney until retiring four or five years ago, her husband said. Her law firm — the one she joined in 1978 — later was renamed Cotsirilos, Tighe, Streicker, Poulos & Campbell. Today, it is known as Cotsirilos, Poulos & Campbell.
Outside of work, Tighe enjoyed reading, traveling, shopping and spending time at her second home in Beverly Shores.
“Ann was incredibly vivacious, determined and loyal,” said lawyer and lobbyist Tom Murphy, the former executive director of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission and a longtime friend. “If she decided you were her friend, that was for life, and you were going to be defended by her come hell or high water.”
Murphy said Tighe had a wonderful personality. “Jim and Ann were a real power couple. Ann was the power,” he said. “She was just a ball of fun — a great person to be with, and always ready to laugh and joke, but also with a very, very sharp intellect.”
In addition to her husband, Tighe is survived by two sons, Mike and Danny; and five grandchildren.
Services were held.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.