Illinois Valley Times

Art Havenhill, founder of LaSalle Tea Party, passed away late Thursday night after battling an illness for several months.

Havenhill was a staunch believer that citizens should be heavily involved in the political system, prompting him to found the Tea Party that would be his legacy.

“The way our system is set up, citizens have a responsibility to vote and get involved. If they don’t act on that responsibility, it might go away," Havenhill said. 

Havenhill’s Tea Party started in 2010 when he and his wife, Ruth, met with then U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) to discuss Obamacare.

Havenhill and his wife weren’t happy with Obamacare and they wanted to meet with Halvorson to discuss any possibility of altering the healthcare program.

But according to Havenhill, Halvorson was anything but accommodating. He said that Halvorson was even condescending towards him and his wife, which discouraged him from speaking further with the former U.S. Representative.

Fortunately, upon leaving the venue, Havenhill bumped into Chris Arndt, an activist who opposed Obamacare. Havenhill talked with Arndt and they agreed on many things, which led them to forming the Bureau and LaSalle County Tea Party. Eventually, the organization evolved into the LaSalle County group.

Even after Havenhill relocated from Illinois to Franklin, N.C. with his wife, the Tea Party he founded continued to pursue his advocacies for the betterment of Illinoisans.

 Art Havenhill’s remains lie at a funeral home in Franklin, North Carolina.