Louis Ancel, 84, a noted lawyer for more than 55 years who represented a number of Illinois municipalities and school districts, died Tuesday at the Presbyterian Home, Evanston.

He was senior partner at Ancel, Glink, Diamond & Cope, 140 S. Dearborn, a law firm he founded in the early 1960s.

Shortly after that, he became a member and secretary of the Illinois Constitutional Study Commission, established by the Legislature. He began devoting his time to the passage of a new Illinois Constitution because the old one, passed in 1870, greatly restricted the power of local governmental bodies.

In that post, he encouraged the calling of a Constitutional Convention.

"Louis Ancel was the unsung hero of Illinois constitutional reform," said Samuel W. Witwer, then president of the Constitutional Convention. "He combined the wisdom of a scholar, the practicality of a statesman and the energy of a dynamo. His help and support were essential at several steps in the long process which led to a successful convention."

"Integrity and dedication to his clients' interests marked his entire career," said Stewart H. Diamond, a partner.

Mr. Ancel co-authored the Illinois Municipal Handbook, widely used by city and village officials for more than 30 years. He also wrote many articles on governmental themes and lectured before state and national groups.

Mr. Ancel was reared in Maywood and received his law degree from Northwestern University.

After World War II, he served as general or special counsel to many new municipalities while helping others cope with the influx of returning veterans. Among the clients he helped incorporate or represented were Maywood and Proviso Township High School District 209, which his firm still serves, and the villages of Lincolnwood, Glendale Heights, Bridgeview and Rosemont. (Continued on p. 6)

July 1991 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 3