Chris Lauzen

Christopher John Lauzen is an American politician, businessman, and certified public accountant who served as a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate from 1993 to 2013 and later as chairman of the Kane County Board from 2012 to 2020.

Born on 30 December 1952, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree cum laude in management science and English from Duke University in 1974 and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1978.

Before entering politics, Christopher Lauzen owned his own accounting firm and worked as president and chief operating officer of Comprehensive Accounting Corporation, where he managed operations, data processing, and franchise development for hundreds of employees.

Christopher Lauzen was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 1992, representing districts that included parts of Kane, DuPage, Kendall, and LaSalle counties, and he joined a group of conservative freshmen senators known as the "Fab Five," alongside Dave Syverson, Steve Rauschenberger, Patrick O'Malley, and Peter Fitzgerald.

Throughout his two decades in the legislature, he served on committees such as Appropriations, Revenue where he was ranking Republican spokesman and Pensions and Investments, earning awards like the Illinois Chamber of Commerce's "Champion of Free Enterprise" and the National Federation of Independent Business's "Guardian of Small Business."

He sponsored significant legislation, including the largest employment tax reduction of his era, a property tax assessment freeze for low-income seniors over 65, an 85 percent property tax cut for veterans' posts, and the "Illinois Porkbusters" initiative to trim wasteful state spending by $5 million annually; he also launched a prescription drug pilot program saving participants 50 percent on costs and originated the breast cancer research check-off on state tax returns.

A proponent of Christian views on marriage, pro-life policies, and opposition to gun control, Lauzen advocated term limits for legislators and a ban on partial-birth abortion while securing over $48 million in school construction grants and sponsoring education license plates for teacher scholarships.

He ran unsuccessfully for Illinois comptroller in 1998, winning the Republican primary but losing to Democrat Dan Hynes, and for the U.S. House in Illinois's 14th congressional district in 2008, where he garnered 44 percent against Jim Oberweis.

In 2012, he won election as Kane County Board chairman, managing a $250 million budget with a frozen property tax levy, reducing net county bond debt by 60 percent, and improving financial ratings while advancing projects like the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge.

Christopher Lauzen did not seek re-election to the county board in 2020 after three terms, having won decisively in 2012, 2016, and earlier senate races with margins often exceeding 60 percent.

Married to Sarah with four children, he has continued involvement in public finance and governance, emphasizing transparency, fiscal restraint, and economic development in his post-legislative career.

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